Snapped
by SL the Pyro
Summary: Lucas' past catches up with him, warping his body and mind with a malicious, bloodthirsty darkness. A terrible enemy seeks to turn that darkness into power, wrapping the young psychic up in a conspiracy bigger than anyone can ever imagine...
1. Prologue: Homecoming

_Prologue: Homecoming_

The once-peaceful nighttime forests around me were ablaze with fire, with animals screaming and running for their lives just like we were. I'm terrified. We're all terrified as we run through the blazing woods. But it was not the fire that we're running from, and we are reminded of this constantly by the heavy footsteps behind us that sound like cannons going off. Threats to our life are all around us as the three of us hastily try to navigate this deadly maze.

But like most mazes, they have dead-ends. And we met one in the form of a raging river muddled with charred debris. Burning trees and branches cut off every pathway to the sides. It appears that the only salvation is backtracking, but as we turn around to do so, we are face-to-face with the rabid monster that has chased us through these woods for the past few moments. The flames around us add to its terrifying appearance as its red eye glares down at us, before letting out a roar so loud that it nearly bursts my eardrums. I would've covered them if I weren't petrified with fear.

We look around frantically for any form of salvation, praying that some of the fire has died down or that the river has slowed its pace. Neither has happened; we were faced with the choice of whatever fate would be the least painful.

Or at least that's what I thought, until one of us chose for us. As the monster was about to land its jaws down on the three of us, the woman in front of us and suddenly pushed us both so hard that we lost our balance and tumbled into the river behind us. I became submerged under the charred and mucky wood and struggled to surface, the contaminated water stinging my eyes as I try to see through it.

What I saw upon getting my head above the water made me wish I had drowned.

I see her being violently mangled and manhandled by the monster, her screams of agony prevailing over all other sound in the area. Blood from her body is thrown every which way, some of it getting into the river. I try to swim against the current, try to reach her and help her. But as the river is slowly stained with her crimson fluid of life, I freeze. The sheer amount of it makes me want to vomit, but I am so paralyzed with repulsion and fear that my body can't perform the function. All I can do is watch helplessly as she is torn apart in a frenzy before my very eyes as I am washed away…

And then my world fades away in an assault of blurred colour…

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My nerves and my eyes are shot, my breathing is hard, my throat stings and I can feel chilled sweat dripping from my body. It takes me a moment to recollect my thoughts before I realize that I am no longer in the dirty river of a flaming forest, but in this bedroom that I've become so used to over the last couple of months, sitting up under the soft sheets of my mattress.

I let out a combination of a groan and a sigh, knowing that I've just experienced yet another nightmare about that fateful night back in my own world. The memory of the mechanized Drago killing my mother is still vivid in my mind regardless of whether I'm awake or asleep, and it's been like this ever since that night. And the people I live with wonder why I'm so jumpy and sensitive…

They have no idea the horrors that I've gone through in my life. The only truth I've told them about my life is that I grew up on a farm with my father. They believed that my mother died when I was very young and that I never had a brother. In fact, the only person here who knows _anything_ about my life other than what I did as I grew up is Ness, since we both knew Porky – or Pokey as he calls him – but I only told him that because Porky caused trouble in my world as well as his…

This place that I live in, the Smash Manor, is full of people who have had adventures both fascinating and heart-wrenching. There are fighters, heroes and villains of all shapes and sizes here, members of an organization called "Super Smash Brothers." To the outside world, this is a place where the best fighters from across all sorts of different universes come to compete against each other. But in reality, our job is to travel across different worlds whenever a denizen from one world terrorizes another; in other words, we prevent dangers from one world crossing into others. I became a member shortly after my adventure ended, having been immediately thrown into another adventure involving the "Smashers" as I've come to call them; not only is it the traditional lingo around here, but not all people in Super Smash Brothers are male, which has raised a few questions about sexism.

I still don't know how I ended up in this world, but I remember _when_ it happened all too well: it was when I pulled the final needle to release the Dragon of Darkness… which I had to fight and ultimately kill my own brother to reach. Back then, he was Porky's brainwashed servant, reconstructed like the Drago from a harmless little boy into a killing machine. The legend of the dragon stated that it would reflect what was in my heart and cast that reflection onto the world to renew it… but I still don't understand it. I wanted nothing more than a peaceful world with everyone alive and well, able to thrive… and instead I find myself wandering aimlessly around a destroyed city in another world, getting chased by Porky's massive, murderous statue – which I definitely remember blowing to pieces back in my own world – and then defeating Porky again with Ness' help. And I'll note that the tyrant was supposed to be locked in the impenetrable and permanently-sealed prison that was the Absolutely Safe Capsule that he retreated into after me and my friends defeated him the first time, and how he was there to try and kill me again is a mystery that has yet to be solved. The only remotely _good_ part of all this is that I mysteriously gained new powers… the PSI powers used by one of my friends, Kumatora. PK Fire, Freeze and Thunder were added to my arsenal, but I can't use them very well yet… and I don't even know _how_ I got them in the first place.

But I've been trying to find the truth behind these events. Why did Porky come to _my_ peaceful world out of all of them? How did he escape his prison? Why did it have to be my mother and brother that died and not _me_? And most importantly, what became of my world after the Dragon of Darkness was resurrected? I believed this last question was the key to answering all the ones beforehand, and have been trying to get back to my own world.

For this reason I questioned the master of this organization and of this world, Master Hand, about using a special "transportation system" to get there. I forgot the full name of the system, to me it's long, confusing and pointless. But the point of it is to eventually link all worlds together a peaceful joining of them all, such is Master Hand's dream. The system is free for anyone to use as long as they return to the mansion in good time… or at least that's supposed to be the rule. But as I consulted Master Hand about using it to go back to my home at Nowhere Island, he outright refused my request. He didn't seem willing to tell me why he wouldn't let me go either despite my pleading, until he eventually asked me what my home was called. I told him the truth – Tazmily Village, Nowhere Island – and after he looks it up on his "Worlds Database," he tells me that it _doesn't exist_. I tried to demand to see the computer screen for proof, but he had shooed me from his office before I even got to ask, using the excuse that he was "a busy hand." Any attempt to get information after that was dismissed immediately.

Needless to say, I was outraged. If it weren't for the fact that Master Hand could banish me to whatever location or void he pleases thanks to his own innate power to jump between worlds, I would've lost it on him. I eventually settled for going over his head – pardon me, _fingers_ – and recently tried to sneak into his office while he was out, but I was caught by his right-hand man, Mewtwo. I was stuck with a week-long confinement to my room, and I've been wallowing in my pit of despair since then, all the while still getting no closer to the answers I was looking for. While this mansion would be a more than suitable home for the average person, I still wanted to know what became of my _real_ home.

Right now I'm not entirely convinced that everything Master Hand told me was the truth. He is hasty to dismiss the issue every time I inquire about it, and I've grown sick and tired of the hand's deliberate evasion of my questions. It's clear to me that if I'm going to get any answers, I'll have to go behind his back… er, wrist.

--------------------

I don't believe I've thought this through. The only place the Worlds Database could be directly accessed from was Master Hand's office computer… of which I've just discovered its only entrance was locked when I tried to turn the knob. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

And I don't know how right I am. No sooner did I touch the doorknob did the wall above the door part open a little, letting something protrude out; a small, searchlight-equipped camera suspended on a black pole. Its light is immediately shone on me. Now this just sucks, I wound up caught before I even got anywhere with my search, just like last time…

By now I'm so fed up that I don't even care that if I get caught anymore. My hand becomes charged up with my usual green, glowing brand of PSI energy. I jump up and grab the camera with that hand and crush it into scrap. Knowing I have nothing else to lose since I'm already on Master Hand's blacklist, I charge up my foot with PSI and ram it into the door. It flies open, and to my pleasant surprise there is no alarm.

I make sure to close the door – or at least make it look like it's closed since I just busted it open – and rush behind Master Hand's desk to turn his desktop computer on. It's a good thing that Master Hand always gets the best equipment for the manor; the computer was booted almost immediately after I'd pressed the "on" button. The Worlds Database has already opened on its own, and I waste no time typing "Nowhere Island" in the search box and hitting the Return key.

What I see in the results window makes my blood boil.

There is one result, and it's exactly what I typed. I double-click it and am greeted with the black silhouette of my home island, with a history written to the right of the image. Master Hand told me that it didn't exist in the database, and this is undeniable proof that he was lying. Now there was another question piled on top of the others he'd been trying to answer: why the deceit?

Since I've already broken into Master Hand's office with my face recorded on his blasted camera, leaving the manor seems to be the best option. And I know exactly how I'm going to get out: the transporter.

Not caring to set the office door back to the way it was this time, I dash out into the hallways… before I realize that I have no idea where I'm going. It then dawns on me that despite knowing about the transportation system, that I've never had to use it since I came to this world by way of the dragon's power – mind you I'm not entirely sure about this, but it's the best theory I have right now – but instead I've been riding on some of the airships and spaceships that we have here to traverse dimensions. Fortunately there are maps posted on every floor of the Smash Mansion since it's so easy to get lost in, and I quickly track one down and locate my destination on the 2nd floor's left wing.

I make haste down two adjacent hallways, three flights of stairs and one _long_ hallway before I come across the room… blocked by another locked door. Unlike the one for Master Hand's office, this one appears to be made of solid steel. But I'm no fool; being with the Smashers has taught me a few useful tricks. I cook up the hottest PK Fire I can and blow it at the steel, and then follow it up with a PK Freeze, and then another PK Fire. I repeat the pattern several times until I can hear crackling from the steel. I smile; making something hot, cold and hot again quickly enough can make it very unstable. I charge my foot up with PSI and slam it into the damaged door, and a sizeable hole crumbles out of it.

I slip through the hole, momentarily grunting and mentally cursing as a jagged edge of it rips my shoulder, but it's not a bad wound. I flick the power switch on, and the room sparks to life around me. Terminals and gizmos start powering up along the exterior of the room, but I care little for them; what I care about lies in the centre, the transportation system itself. It's a large, white-topped platform with several black rings attached to its side and a white computer screen beside it. Knowing that I have no time to lose, I quickly type the name of my home into it, hit the green "Start" button and run up onto the platform. It begins to glow with white light beneath me, and the rings start to rotate slowly, but gradually speed up to a dizzying pace. I'm quickly getting concerned; I've never used this machine before and begin to fear that I've done something wrong… but it's too late to stop it now, the rings are going too fast for me to get out of, generating a low humming sound as they spin.

Through the rings, I see the damaged metal door slide upwards the way it's supposed to be opened. Then enters the last thing I wanted to see right now: a floating, massive right-handed white glove. It's none other than Master Hand, flanked by a trio of what he calls "Red Alloys." They are robots built with chrome, red-steel armor and made vaguely in the shape of tall human beings. Their hands, the heels of their feet and where their faces would be are replaced with white orbs, and their mid-sections are made of some kind of purple mesh containing another white orb.

Master Hand… I wouldn't have had to do this if you had just told me the truth. "What are you doing!?" the floating glove shouts at me.

My answer is simple: "Going home." My vision is then consumed by white…

--------------------

When I'm able to see clearly again, I immediately collapse to my knees as a wave of violent nausea passes over me. I'm promptly sick on the black ground for a moment… wait, black?

Once the nausea passes, I take a better look around… what I see is nothing but long-ended tales of destruction. The ground is cracked and black with something that rubs off on my hands… soot? The only visible plants in the area are long-dead trees covered in soot and ash. The sky is covered in thick lightning clouds that spew rain. The water that he could see in the distance was a murky, foreboding purple instead of a calming blue. Where on earth _am_ I? There's no way this could be Nowhere Island!

But the only way to know for sure is to explore… and as I move, I immediately see the familiar graveyard. But any place where people used to live had graves, right? People die all the time. This could be any graveyard; the transportation system could've messed up. Master Hand could've done someth…

My train of thought is completely derailed as I see a gravestone up on a small cliff that screams familiarity. I rush up to it, hoping and praying – _really_ praying – that it doesn't belong to who I think it does. I crouch down and read the inscription, and in an instant those hopes are dashed:

_Wife of Flint.  
Mother of the twins Lucas and Claus.  
Daughter of Alec.  
May the beautiful Hinawa rest in peace here for all time._

I can hardly believe what I see… but it's true. This grave… this is undeniable proof I'm on Nowhere Island. But… I don't understand! The world was supposed to be reset! This island was supposed to be _saved_ when the Dragon was released, not turned into this wartorn wasteland! Did this mean that the Dragon destroyed everything? Did… _I_ destroy everything?

I start to step backward, but I suddenly find that there is no ground beneath my feet and fall down. I am then introduced into a world of pain as something sharp is jabbed into my left shoulder. My anguished scream tears through the silence like a knife. I quickly sit up and try to tear the intrusion from my shoulder. I succeed and throw the thing to the ground, grasping the profusely bleeding wound… the sight of blood causes the vivid nightmares of my past to resurface again. Trying to forget about it, I look at what impaled my shoulder… a bone. I realize that I've fallen into a grave that was torn open…

I shriek upon realizing that it was in fact my mother's grave, since it's the only one on the cliff. I can no longer suppress the memories... all I can do is hyperventilate as bloody scene after bloody scene plays through my mind like a screen play. I feel like… I feel… strange…

"Lucas!" My name is called. My head lolls to the side, and I see Master Hand still being followed by the Red Alloys. Upon seeing the one who caused me to go such lengths to see that my home has been reduced to ash, my mind is filled with oddly-delicious notions of how I can exact my revenge, causing me to forget about the blood dripping down my arm from my wounded shoulder. "I… I didn't want you to see this… you're still young, I didn't believe you'd be able to take the shock…" He's unaware that his words are falling on deaf ears. I slowly get to my feet and climb out of the grave, taking slow steps towards him and his companions. "Lucas, I'm sorry…"

Apologizing… "Sorry… _sorry_…" I droll as I lumber over to him, twitching. "You… think saying you're sorry… is going to fix this?" My words are cold and dripping with venom; if I weren't in a trance-like state, I'd surprise even myself. I can see him back off a little bit through my hair, which I only now realized was matted down because of the heavy rain. I could care less right now.

"Lucas, stop where you are." Master Hand ordered.

I didn't comply. I kept walking towards him, and the Red Alloys stood in the way. I still walked and talked. "If you had any sense, you would've just told me the truth… you're not sorry…"

"Lucas, stop where you are _now_, or I will have the Alloys restrain you!" Master Hand said with whatever authority he could muster. "I don't want to hurt you…" Again, I ignore him. I still lumbered towards him, an erratic pulse of PSI forming on my right hand. Apparently that was all the provocation he needed. "ATTACK!"

One of the Red Alloys dashed at me… what did these simple arena toys think they could do to me? I grabbed the arm it tried to bring down on me with my left hand, and shoved my glowing right hand into its chest… no, correction: _through_ its chest. Fragments of what used to be the mesh of the alloy's chest cut my arm and hand, but I don't cry out in agony… in fact, I find that I'm _liking_ the pain. It collapses without so much as a scream. Disappointing… the other two Red Alloys rush me. They don't even get the chance to attack. My bloody hands are outstretched, and they stop knowing what's coming. "PK FIRE!" I roar. A row of flame blasts out of my hands, one considerably bigger than I thought I could create. One of the Red Alloys is lost in a huge fireball that isn't at all hindered by the pouring rain. It is melted into slag in less than a moment. Cowering before the awesome power, the remaining Red Alloy attempts to run. "PK FREEZE!" The robot is suddenly completely encased in a block of ice. Charging up my hand with PSI, I drive it through the frozen prison and shatter it along with the robot.

My gaze turns to Master Hand, and while he has no facial expression, my mental powers help me feel his terror. I continue my previous approach to him. "Lucas, stop! I'm warning you! STOP!" I have no intention of stopping now… I'm going to make him pay for deceiving me. The only thing I can't decide on is how to make him pay the most… thoughts of sweet revenge make me laugh quietly with glee. "I WARNED YOU!" He snaps his fingers. I find myself engulfed in a white light not unlike that of the transportation system…. no, _no_! I won't be denied sweet vengeance when I'm so close to it! I charge up my PSI, getting ready to use another blast of PK Fire to blow the glove into oblivion. "What are you doing!? If you use that much power, you'll disrupt the transportation!" I ignore his warning and fire anyway, and feel so satisfied upon hearing his agonized screams as the flames sear the white fabric that is his "body."

It's the last pleasant feeling I get before the white light turns red… I can feel my body burning up. This pain wasn't at all pleasant like when I punched my hand through the first Red Alloy's chest, it was horrible… I can only scream as red consumes my vision before I black out…


	2. Chapter 1: New World

_Chapter 1: New World_

_Lucas..._

_You haven't met me yet, but we have much in common..._

_I want to meet you..._

_You're going to wake up in a new world..._

_Go to the highest point you can freely access..._

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As I hear the last of those words, I'm thrust into consciousness. My head is throbbing like someone is driving a jackhammer into my skull, and the soreness all over my body is comforted only by a strange softness… and that's when I realize something is wrong. I look at my surroundings and find that I'm laying down in the very elegant bed of room so lavishly furnished that it would make even Princess Peach and Princess Zelda jealous. Red and violet tassels line the large windows on one side of the room to my left, while large and golden-trim-decorated cabinets full of what I assume to be clothes and other random items line up the other side. The bed I'm laying in is backed up against the wall with a headboard, made up of what looks like solid gold and silver. The blankets I'm under are a deep red, and I have to admit are really soft against my skin…

And that's the problem. I shouldn't be feeling nearly this much of the blanket. A touch to my bare chest with my right hand confirms that I'm almost completely naked except for my boxers. The main question on my mind is why I'm almost stark naked… but I find something else to worry about as I try to sit up. I can't move my left arm, and as the blanket falls off of my upper body I see that it's been wrapped up in a rather-comfortable white cast. My arm is broken? When did that happen? As I try to recall the events, I am reminded of my horrible headache and utter a small curse. I can't focus any PSI to heal any of my injuries as long as this throbbing persists, which means I'm at the mercy of… whoever owns this place. Where _am_ I, anyway? This doesn't look like any of the rooms in the Smash Manor…

As I try to get up from the bed to explore, I hear the door across the room click, which I finally notice that my shoes are set beside. I remember that I'm not wearing many clothes and pull the blanket up as the door opens. The person who enters is a man who I definitely don't recognize, wearing black jeans and a plain yellow t-shirt. He looks to be in his mid-thirties and has short black hair. "Oh good, you're awake." he says in a quiet yet strong voice. "The mistress will be happy to see that you're well." My only reply is a scoff; my arm is broken, and he thinks I look _well_? "No need to get up, breakfast will be arriving shortly. Is there anything you need?"

I say the first things that come to mind: "Clothes… and something for a bad headache…"

"Oh yes, your clothes… they were completely torn up when the mistress found you." he tells me. Another unanswered question besides how I got my arm broke. "I'm afraid we don't have anything that fits someone of your size here, but we're shopping for something right now. And I'll get you some aspirin too."

With that, he leaves and closes the door behind him. I sigh, knowing that I'm going to be here a while… not at all good since I have somewhere to be. What did the voice say, that I was in a new world and that I should meet him at the highest point? I don't know why, but I feel compelled to do as it instructed me… strange. Oh well, at least it's something to do. But I'm not going anywhere until this headache goes away and I regain use of my PSI, so I might as well enjoy a good meal and get some new clothes while I wait…

Judging from the clock hung up on the wall in front of me, it's at almost a half-hour before the man returns, pushing a fine oak table on wheels holding everything that I wanted; food, clothes and a couple of pills which I was hoping was that much-needed aspirin. He rolls the absurdly-wide table around the bed – which I now realize has to be at least a queen-size – and I waste no time swallowing the two white pills and washing them down with a glass of water. "My, your headache must be very bad… do you have a fever?" He reaches his hand to check my forehead; I had to resist an overpowering urge to swat it away, since I wasn't sure whether or not I had a fever either. I let him touch me, and he shakes his head. "No, no fever… maybe you hit your head hard and fell unconscious?"

That sounds reasonable, I suppose; I _did_ wind up with all of my clothes reportedly ripped up. I start inspecting my meal which consists of scrambled eggs and buttered toast, and it's then that my stomach notifies me of how hungry I am. I ask the man, "How did I get here?" before I start devouring my food.

"The mistress saw you collapsed in the Green Plant area as she was practicing for her next race." the man informed me. "Your arm was badly wounded and you were covered in scratches, and your clothes were torn to shreds." Covered in scratches? I quickly check my body for any such things, but find that I'm completely unscathed except for the broken arm. "We had you on a healing panel. The arm is going to take a few more treatments, though." Healing panel? Green Plant area? Just what kind of world am I in? As I quickly finish my meal, I notice that my headache has subsided. That aspirin worked wonders… perfect, it means I'm able to use my PSI again.

I have to wonder, who is this man and his "mistress?" Granted this man is being nice enough to give me a home-cooked meal and medical treatment, but I don't know who he is or who he's working for… something fishy could be going on. Snake taught me that no matter how inviting some people are, that you never just openly trust them until you know their real intentions. "Why did you help me?" I ask.

The man blinked. "You were in trouble, simple as that." he answers. How generic. Well, I'm fine now, and I'm not staying with total strangers. But as I try to get up, the man hurriedly motions me back down. "Wait! You're not fully recovered yet! Please give your arm some time to heal…"

I glare at him as he tries to force me back down onto the blankets, this time not so willing to let him touch me; I swat his hand away with my free right hand to make it clear that I am _not_ the touchy-feely type, and he recoils in slight shock. But then again, if this _is_ a new world, it's likely that no one knows who I am or what PSI is. Normally that'd be a good thing since people would leave me alone, but this one was involved with me now, and he'd be nothing but a hindrance since he doesn't know what I can do… not that I'm not appreciative for his help if he _is_ sincere, but I have somewhere to be. "PK Flash." I mutter, and a green light resonates from my body.

It's at this point that it all comes back to me, my memories I mean… I see it all too vividly, my lunatic rampage against Master Hand and his three Red Alloys. I look back on it, and can hardly believe that I dispatched them all so easily… I even had to have done significant damage to Master Hand before his teleportation spell whisked me away… and then I remember his warning about using too much power while he tried to teleport me. The memory of the pain makes me wrap my free arm around my chest instinctively… now I think I know how I ended up here. Master Hand was trying to teleport me to one place, but the power from my attack on him screwed it up, causing it to send me here… and probably shred my clothes since I don't know how else I could've lost them.

When my composure returns, I focus on the matter at hand. The man – presumably unconscious if I did the PK Flash right – the large table, its remaining contents and even the blankets I was under are all now in a heap on the other side of the room. Wasting no time I use mutter a quick "PK Healing," using my PSI to heal my injuries before I get off of the large bed and pick my new clothes out of the pile of strewn objects and put them on, ripping my now-useless cast off of my arm. I look in the mirror when I'm done and see myself wearing a red and crimson-striped shirt similar to my old one and some black denim shorts. If it weren't for my usual bed-head, I'd think I'm looking sharp. But I can't waste time fixing my hairstyle now, so I grab my shoes from beside the door and walk over to the window, which I see is actually a sliding glass door that leads to a large balcony. In other words, it's my way out. I slide the door open, and am rewarded with the unpleasant wailing of an alarm siren. I dash through the door and off of the balcony, using some PSI power to land safely on the lush, green grass below. I take a brief moment to get my bearings, and see a massive city not so far away from where I am. Looking around I see other buildings as big as the one I just came out of… this street must be where the rich people live.

Getting back on track, I realize that there are no higher points than the tallest buildings in the city. It's a matter of finding the tallest one that I can get to the roof on. Leaving the alarm-blaring house behind me, I dash for the city.

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I had to have ran for a least an hour, or at least that's what it feels like. I'm in the city now, sitting against the wall of a brick building as I catch my breath. I'm near the taller buildings, the first being just a block away. I watch as the traffic passes by in the form of hovering cars, and for some reason the sight of it seems familiar… but I don't know why. So far I haven't been in any worlds that have streets for cars except for Tazmily, and the only car I ever saw there was driven by one of those talking frogs… and furthermore, they didn't hover. So why do I feel like I've seen this before?

Then it hits me; I haven't seen a place like this before, but I've seen vehicles like these before… or rather, gotten hit by one in a Brawl. This advanced technology like the "heal panel" that supposedly fixed up my scars, the hovering cars, the masses of alien creatures which I hadn't taken any real notice to before… I must be in Captain Falcon's world. A sudden sense of panic falls over me; if Master Hand survived my PK Fire, which I'm sure he did, there was the chance that he'd want revenge and would send his two bounty-hunting Smashers after me. Being in the homeworld of one of those bounty hunters is unnerving to say the least…

I shake my head, reminding myself that I have business to do here. Perhaps the voice that told me to meet it knows a way out of this world? It was worth a shot since I have no way to traverse worlds on my own unless I find this world's transportation system, and considering that I'm in a massive city that I knew nothing about, I'm not likely to do that without help. Getting up, I cross the street as the light turns and look at the entrance to the first tower. It's kind of simple-looking, mostly made of glass… I remember being told that flashy-looking buildings like these were just office buildings. Of course I wouldn't be allowed on the roof here, so I try the next tower down the street.

This one looks more promising, all sorts of creatures walking in and out of the two sets of double entrance doors regularly. It is taller than the office building and has two dome-shaped windows on its top and side-mounted elevators rising up and down… maybe this is an amusement place or something? I decide to investigate further, taking the first elevator that becomes free all the way to the highest possible floor. I have to admit that the view is pretty good as I'm riding up… I can see well over half the city from here, but nothing really notable…

My elevator opens up. I walk out to see that the people on the very top of this building are few and far-between. The roof is a large, circular area with a amber-glowing safety fence all around it and a doorway leading to what I presume to be an emergency stairwell. This is a nice place to get a great view. I walk all the way to the other side of the roof, checking the side of the city that I missed on the elevator ride up. I spot the rich-person district I woke up at down below… even from here, the houses look big.

"Nice view, isn't it?" That voice. That was the one I heard before I woke up. All of the sudden I feel afraid, vulnerable. I spin on my heel and charge up my PSI in a panic, and I see someone standing behind me. I can tell that it's a man, but the vast majority of his body is covered up by a long, black cape billowing in the wind. Its collar is covering his mouth and nose, all I can see of his face is his pale white skin and a pair of icy, emotionless blue eyes. His hair is short and a dark-purple colour, and his hat looks _way_ too similar to Link's, only long enough to reach down to his waist. For some reason his mere presence just _screams_ danger. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." I can understand his voice better now, smooth and quiet, yet resonating of power.

"Who… who are you!?" I stammer out.

He chuckles. The sound of his laugh sends shivers up my spine. "Think of me as… a friend…" He starts walking towards me, and I back off, forgetting that my back is to a fence until I back up into it. I have nowhere to go. He's a lot taller than me, looking down at me… he seems to be inspecting me for some reason. It's almost as if I can feel the evil intent from this man, and the fact that someone like this has taken an interest in me makes my skin crawl. "So, you're Lucas… you're a bit younger than I expected… your mind is a lot more grown up than your body, it seems."

"Wh… what's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Nothing, I suppose…" He looks into my eyes, and for some reason, I can't look away…

The next few moments are filled with chaos. My vision of him and this tower is quickly replaced by images of things that shouldn't be. People screaming in blinding agony as they are torn apart by unseen forces, thick rivers of scarlet flowing through towns… it's all I can bring myself to describe, it gets much worse from that point on.

Then as quickly as it started, my vision returns to normal. I collapse to my knees, struggling to breathe as sweat drips from my face. What just happened to me!? "I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Lucas…"

It takes me a moment to form a coherent string of words while I try to stop my heart from pounding its way out of my chest. "Wh… what do you… mean…" When he doesn't answer, I look up at him… and find myself staring at empty space. I look around frantically to find that the man is gone, vanished… I cross my arms around my chest, trying to stop shaking. That man… I don't know what he is, but he definitely isn't normal. And it takes me a moment to also realize that he wasn't of any help; this man called me up here, getting my hopes up that he might have a way for me to escape this world incase Master Hand sends Captain Falcon after me… and all he does is inspect me, fill my mind with gore and vanish? I'm so angry at him right now…

"Attention, all guests on the rooftop." a female voice echoes. A speaker system? "All of the elevators have suddenly broken down. Until they are repaired, we ask that all guests on the rooftop please take the stairs down to lower floors immediately. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

All of the elevators at once? Weird… did the power go out? No, that couldn't be, or the speakers wouldn't be working… the other people on the roof were muttering amongst each other as they approached they all walked to the stairwell, probably as confused as I am. Not being any more allowed up here now than any of them, I join them. But all of the sudden, they all stop moving as the exit door slams shut. "What the?" I complain in surprise. But strangely, no one else does the same. They're all oddly silent and immobile… until they all turn their heads towards me in unnerving unison. It's then that I notice that their appearances have changed; they all used to have different colours of skin according to whatever alien race they were… but now, all their skin was blue and their eyes irises were as red as rubies. Mind you I hadn't paid attention to what they looked like before, but I'm sure they _all_ didn't look like that.

They start lumbering towards me, and I step back as they draw closer. What is going on!? Without warning, the creature in front of the mob dashes at me. I jump back, and it lands on its face, but slowly gets back to its feet. Another creature charges; I sidestep this time and the tactic gets the same result. Then the ones still left in the mob _all_ charge at me. I'm unable to get out of the way of this one and find myself on the bottom of a dogpile of what I can best describe as drooling zombies. A very heavy pile I might add, and this wasn't helped when the other two who had previously missed me hopped on top.

I could feel myself getting crushed, struggling to breathe. I try to move, but I'm pinned down at every possible angle. I can't focus, I can't breathe… then one of them bites into my previously-injured shoulder. I shriek in pain as its teeth sink into my flesh, tearing a piece off from what I can tell. Then my head is pushed down and turned into the direction of the wound…

And then I see it. My shoulder, oozing out my precious life blood. Memories flood back to me… of my mother being torn to shreds by the Mecha Drago, of having to swim in a river stained with blood, of seeing her skeleton… among other gruesome images I don't remember and didn't believe my mind was capable of producing. These thoughts are quickly followed by my assault on Master Hand… how good it felt…

Suddenly, my mind is clear again. "PK Love." In an explosion of green, the mob of deranged creatures is blown off of me. I rise to me feet slowly, feeling that urge for destruction once again. Icy, quiet laughter escapes my lips, and I smile broadly. These creatures have no idea what they're trying to kill… now they'll be the ones killed.

As one of the creatures gets to its feet and dashes at me again, I am prepared for it this time. I raise my foot and slam it into its gut… it seems to have no effect at first and it tries to proceed undeterred. Emphasis on "tries," as a delayed burst of psychic energy erupts from the sole of my shoe at the point of impact. I can hear the crunching of collapsing bones inside its body, and it screams in unchallenged pain as it collapses in a facing-down heap. I realize that I've underestimated my own strength as I see that blood and shards of bone piercing out of his _back_… at the sight of this, my laughter starts to increase in volume. My mind slips further away into a blissful lust for destruction… and I _love_ it.

I hear another creature coming at me from behind. I don't even let it get close to me before turning around, pointing fingers from both hands towards it and rasping out, "PK Fire!" A burst of pyrokinetic flame blasts out of those fingers, engulfing the thing in an instant. I can hear its screams as it flails around, running in circles and thus throwing flames everywhere around it. This causes an idea to form in my head, and my laughter is now at normal volume at the thought of it. I cook up the hottest "PK FIRE!" I possibly can and start spinning around in place with my arms spread out, functions like two out-of-control flamethrowers. When I stop spinning and look around, I see the creatures looking at me with eyes widened with horror, and then looking backward… they're stuck between me and a circle of fire. They weren't going anywhere now…

My laughter is at shouting volume now… the fear, the screams of pain, the feeling of being the most powerful… it's so euphoric. I want to feel more. I run to the nearest creature who tries feebly to fight back, punching me in the stomach. I'm not the least bit deterred. I touch my hand to its chest and mutter "PK Freeze." It starts to twitch and scream in agony, gradually worsening. Then, spikes of crimson explode out of its entire body. His screaming abruptly stops and he collapses in front of me as I back up. I had frozen his blood and manipulated the makeshift ice to tear him apart from the inside. Tiny droplets of it splatter onto myself.

My attention turns to the remaining creatures, six remaining in total, who now have the sense not to attack me. They desperately try to escape, but the fire is much too hot. One tries anyway, and I laugh with savage glee as his body immediately begins to burn up and melt. Regardless though, he makes it through the fire. I'm find that I'm disappointed in letting one of my toys get away… a mistake I vow not to repeat with those that remain. I build up PSI energy, crossing my arms and roar, "PK THUNDER!" My hands become charged with electrical power, and I let it all out in the flaming circle of death. Their screams are literally like music to my ears as I watch them writhe uncontrollably. The sheer amount of electricity is too much for their bodies to take, as their bodies begin to fry and bleed out; in a couple of cases, their heads outright exploded. I didn't know the science behind it, nor did I care…

I look at the eight mutilated alien creatures around me as if witnessing a grand spectacle, laughing until I could laugh no more. What I'd just done… it felt incredible! I needed more! I unleashed a small burst of "PK Freeze!" to quell the raging flames around, hoping that there would be more victims around me, or at least the one that had foolishly went through the fire… but aside from myself, there is no life present on this wartorn rooftop.

I suddenly start to feel cold inside… there's no one else for me to destroy… where are they? WHERE ARE THEY!? I don't want to let this euphoria end… I CAN'T! "GIVE ME SOMETHING ELSE TO DESTROY!" I plead to whatever divine forces govern this world. But my prayer goes unanswered. No one comes up the stairs. No one comes up the elevators. No one comes from the sky. There is no one and nothing else to kill… I'm alone… alone…

_Alone..._

Just as the man said, all good things come to an end, so too did my insatiable lust for blood and devastation when I realize that there is nothing else here to destroy. I feel weak all of the sudden, falling too my knees as the insanity fades back into the deep, dark depths of my mind… and that as when I see the atrocities that I've committed. Eight alien corpses, all torn apart or mangled in one brutal fashion or another… all killed by me. I…

I _killed_ them… _all_ of them… with nothing but my own power…

I don't know if it's the weight of this grim realization or the ungodly sight of the massacre that I caused, but I feel terribly dizzy and nauseous all of the sudden… I feel like I'm going to vomit, but I don't even get that far before my vision fades to black again…


	3. Chapter 2: Mistress

_Chapter 2: Mistress_

_Luuucaaasss_…

I hear that haunting, omniscient voice as I run through this void of darkness. It seems endless… I have no idea how long I've been running, but it seems like it's been an eternity. And the entire time, I've been chased by this strange voice… I know who it belongs to, and that's why I dare not turn around. For from behind me, I can also sense an incredible aura rife with malice and killing intent. And I don't even need to _try_ to focus my PSI to feel it, it's that strong.

_Luuuuuucaaaaasssss..._

The voice is singsong, amused that I'm running away.

_Why do you keep running, Lucas…? Why can't we play together, just like we used to…_

I wasn't stupid. The kind of play he wanted involved tearing me apart limb from limb. "GO AWAY!" I shout back.

"And why should I…?" I stop dead in my tracks, my head now turned forward in terror. The owner of the voice is standing right in front of me. The very air is chilled around us is chilled all of the sudden, and neither of us are using PK Freeze. It feels like I'm frozen stiff at the mere sight of him… the blood pours out of his disemboweled right arm onto the invisible floor beneath our feet, dripping off of flesh and exposed circuits… half of his face – _my_ face – is torn off in a bloody mess, except for a blood-red mechanical eye. Bloodstained teeth smile at me with glee. His entire body – or what's left of it – is battered and bleeding all over, plainly visible through his copycat clothing, and he doesn't seem to have a care in the world. "You're still a little crybaby, never could stand a little danger even if it was fun…"

He advances on me, and I back off. Suddenly, I lose my balance and fall on my bottom, and now I'm crawling away from him as fast as I can. But he simply matches my pace. "Claus, just… please, leave me alone… _please_…" My voice is coming out in pleading sobs. His response is to lunge forward and grab me with the hand he still has left, strong in spite of lost blood and frayed mechanical parts and wires poking out of his it. He gets a firm grip on my neck, lifting me up by it. My resulting pleading comes out as strained gags. His grip is like getting my neck jammed in a vice…

"Lucas… you knew damn well that this was coming…" he says, his voice no longer singsong, but dripping with malicious intent. "You let our mother die… you killed _me_ with your own two hands… and then you unleashed the very thing that destroyed our world… we're not just letting you off the hook… WE DEMAND _VENGEANCE_!"

He throws me down to the ground brutally. I start backing up as fast as I possibly can, tears of fear streaming down my face. I finally get to my feet and turn to run, turning around… but I stop right where I am seeing the obstacle before me, something that shouldn't exist. In front of me, there is a horde of people, ghosts, zombies… all of the creatures and people that I'd seen back home… all shouting their disgust at me… but that's not what frightens me the most. I see _them_… my mother, my father, the friends that followed me throughout my journey, all shouting profanities at me like the rest. I can hardly believe what I see.

I can hear sizzling sounds behind me, all too familiar sizzling sounds. I turn around quickly and back off as I see him wielding his preferred electrically-charged sword raised high. "I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL!"

The last thing I see is his sword being brought down upon my head…

--------------------

The entire scene vanishes and my scream echoes out from my mouth. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, sweat billowing down my shaking body… the same state I'm always in when I wake up from a nightmare. But on top of that, my stomach is churning unpleasantly, and I have yet another blistering headache… I groan in discomfort, both brought on by the fact that I've had another unsatisfactory sleep and from how damn horrible I feel, and lay back down on the bed… it's soft…

Too soft. I've felt these blankets before. My head rolls on the pillow to look at the left side of the room, and I see the same sliding-screen door that I went through before… I'm back _here_ again, in this fit-for-a-king bedroom. The only difference is that there is moonlight shining through the window instead of the sunlight. Just how on earth did I get back here? The last thing I remembered was being on top of that tower…

And then the events of last night come rushing back to me. How all of those aliens suddenly turned on me and attacked me, and how I… killed them… not just in simple self-defense, I tore them apart… and most sickening of all was that I _enjoyed_ it… the images are too vivid for my liking, and I can feel my stomach giving another unhealthy lurch at them. I think I'm going to vomit… I quickly throw off the blankets and sit up in spite of my pain and look around frantically for something I can unload it into, because it's coming really fast… bending over the bed, I see that there is an empty bucket conveniently placed there. I don't know why, and I don't have time to ponder it. My mouth is filled with the horrible taste of bile as I throw up into the bucket. My body is shaking worse than before by the time I'm done. God, I feel terrible…

I'm at a loss for what to do now. Obviously I was put back in this bed to recover, but there's no way I'll be able to sleep in this condition, but by the same token I won't be moving either… I need my PSI, but before that I need this damned headache to go away. The only thing I can do is lay here in this bed, stuck with horrific memories of nightmares to come and the slaughter I committed on top of the tower, and cry as my fist pounds on the mattress… wondering what the hell I've become…

All of the sudden, light floods the room. I look up with bloodshot eyes to see that someone is standing in the now-open doorway… I can't make him out though. Slowly the person walks towards me… and I rapidly see that _he_ is a _she_, wearing scarlet robes. She kneels down to look me in the eye, smiling warmly… slowly, she reaches out and brings me into an embrace, setting my head on her shoulder. For a moment, I'm confused… who is this woman? What is she doing? "Shh… it's alright… its okay to cry… just let it out…" she says in an accented voice as she strokes my bare back. I don't know what it is, but something about her being here is so… soothing…

Tears fall from my face as my pain from the past two days is released... I don't know how long I cried, but she stayed with me until I fell asleep…

--------------------

When I next woke up, the sun was shining through the sliding glass doors. Looking down, I see that I'm tucked back into the blankets like I was before… with one major difference; I don't feel like utter crap. My headache is gone, I'm not shaking, my stomach… well, my stomach is still growing due to lack of food, but not as violently as before. And finally, to my disbelief, I hadn't woke up out of a nightmare. In all of the three and a half years since my Mother died before my eyes, I've never woken up without having a nightmare first… this was more of a dreamless sleep, but I'd rather dream about nothing than have another delusion of being beaten and killed over and over again.

Panic suddenly washes over me. I'd fallen asleep in someone's arms, almost entirely naked… I frantically pull up the blanket and check to make sure that my blue boxers are still on. Thank God they are… checking the blankets all over, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of foul play either… I breathe a sigh of relief and lay back down. There's nothing left for me to do now; making another escape attempt is pointless since I don't have anywhere to go this time… maybe I'll get a good meal again?

As if on cue, the door opens up. I recognize the man, the same one who brought me food last time. I gulp; he can't be too happy about when I knocked him out… "Your meal, Lucas. Are you feeling any better now?"

My body shoots up; I immediately notice there's something wrong with that sentence. I never told him my name. "How do you know my name!?" I ask in alarm.

"The mistress knows who you are." the man replied, rolling the table from before up along the bed. This time there is a stack of pancakes with two packets of syrup. To the far side is my clothes, neatly folded up.

"…What's your excuse for taking my clothes this time?" I ask as I start filling the hole in my stomach.

"Well, er… they were covered in…" the man begins to say, but stops.

"…Oh… right." I respond, unwillingly remembering the massacre. I probably got the blood on my clothing from the aliens that got too close to me.

"Well, I'll leave you to your meal then." the man said, walking for the door.

I suddenly feel compelled to stop him. "W-wait!" I say. He turns to me. "I… I'm sorry for attacking you before… I kind of… freaked when you tried to touch me…" Well, it's close enough to the truth. And I am sorry for hurting him.

He simply chuckled and replied, "No apologies necessary, I don't hold it against you. If I woke up in a foreign place half-naked, I'd be wary too." I find myself chuckling at the blunt humor. "The mistress regrets not being here to see you now, but she is racing today. If you're feeling better though, she'd like you to attend the race…"

His proposal interests me for two reasons. The first is that I've always wanted to see an F-Zero race… the only experience I've gotten is off of television screens. That, and I'll finally get the chance to see this "mistress" for myself. I nod and answer, "I think I'd like that." He smiles and leaves me be, quietly closing the door behind him. As I quickly finish this breakfast, I roll the table away and pluck my clothing off of it. The same red-striped shirt and black shorts from before… I have to admit, I like them a bit more than the yellow and orange shirt and blue denim shorts I usually wore. I slip the new clothing on and look myself in the mirror again… and then I see my bedhead. I groan, having been through this before… well, at least this time I have the chance to fix it. I grab a small pink comb off of the dresser with the mirror on it and comb my hair into the usual swirl; this is one part of my style that I'll probably never get rid of… I like it too much. Setting the comb down, I follow the man's earlier instructions and make my way out of the bedroom.

The hallway I'm in is no less decorative than the bedroom, a plush red carpet under my feet and columns with golden trim lining the walls. Priceless-looking vases stand on silver pedestals along the sides of the hallway. This mistress was _rich_… it made me wonder even more just who she is. Heading to my right – the left part of the hall appeared to lead to a dead-end, and I know I'm on the second floor – I come across a spiral staircase. Classy like everything else here. I head down and find myself in what seems to be the family room. Three couches and two chairs – all red in colour – were lined up in a half-circle fashion here, facing a flat-screen television suspended from the ceiling in front of huge windows with the same red and violet tassels as in the bedroom. The floor was also matted with the same red carpet. Two men occupied the room, the first being the man who brought me my food, the other I didn't recognize. He had short brown hair and wore a black shirt with red pants, and appeared no older than the other man. The first man turned to me with a smile and said, "Glad you're on your feet."

I then noticed that the man was holding something in his arm… a heavy, blue hoody. "What's that for?" I ask him.

"It's for you, Lucas." the man informs me, handing me the hoody. I raise my eyebrow at him. "The mistress knows you're part of the Super Smash Brothers, and there's the chance that people might recognize you… no reason to get swarmed by the paparazzi."

I see his point. While the Super Smash Brothers were a fighting force to protect the peace, they were publicly known for their tournaments that they used as a front. All of the Smashers – myself included – were celebrities in all of the worlds that could view those tournaments. If I were recognized by some hapless townsperson, it could cause the media and perhaps eventually Super Smash Brothers to come running. And I didn't want to be found by Super Smash Brothers right now. I slipped the hoody on and pulled the hood over my head, hiding my trademark hairstyle.

I nod to the man, and he nods back. "Well, shall we get going?"

--------------------

We arrive at the floating race track in what he tells me is the "Green Plant" area, where his mistress found me unconscious by chance as she was practicing on the track. And it seemed that this practice was much-needed, as the track they are racing on is supposed to be one of the most difficult ever made. And as I look out from this flying audience carrier onto the track called "Spiral," I immediately see how apt its name is. It's long, curved, twisted and has several jumps. It looks really cool, but to actually race on it is something I'd believe only a madman would do. And as I look down, I see no less than thirty of these madmen driving their F-Zero machines up to the starting positions. I start to get a little antsy, remembering that Captain Falcon is also an F-Zero pilot… but am greatly relieved upon seeing that the Blue Falcon isn't present in the group of racers. I smirk; he must be too busy looking for me in other worlds. That makes me feel relieved.

"Down there, Lucas. Number 36." the servant man – who has since told me his name, Ruffas – informs me, pointing out a machine coloured gold and orange at the twenty-first starting position. It's very difficult to describe… its design is an odd mix of smoothness and being built to be durable. I'd say it's definitely built for speed, but that's what all F-Zero machines are made. The pilot beside it, waving to the crowd, was someone I had to admit was drop-dead gorgeous. I'm a bit concerned about her… odd style of clothing though; she is wearing an A-shaped leather top and has baggy gypsy-like pants, which are hung up by tall and laced combat boots. She wore pink leather gloves and had red shoulder-guards, and wore a pair of thick, heart-shaped sunglasses on her forehead. Her dark-red hair was done into a pair of large, twin ponytails. Most of her articles of clothing had heart decorations on them somewhere. "That is our mistress, Lucas."

My lips scrunch up in concern; to me it seems like her outfit is made to emphasize her curves. And she doesn't look that old either, she can't be much older than myself. What is this, some kind of reverse harem? "That outfit is kind of revealing, isn't it?"

I hear him chuckle. "Oh, not really. From where we hail from, royalty actually wears more revealing clothing than that. We had to add a little to the ensemble before she could go out in public like this."

Did I hear him right? "I'm sorry, Mister Ruffas, but… did you say _royalty_?" I ask.

"Yes, I did. She is our princess, Lucas. Princess of the planet Magica." he clarifies.

At this new information, my jaw nearly hits the floor. Their mistress… a _princess_? I can hardly believe it, but… it's the only logical explanation I can think of for someone so young to have a handful of grown-up male servants. I breathe an inward sigh of relief now that I know the situation isn't what I thought it was. But this begs another question: "Why would a princess be racing in something like the F-Zero!? This is dangerous!"

Ruffas chuckles again. "Oh, don't worry, she's done this plenty of times before. We were skeptical too when she decided she wanted to race, but she's stubborn at times… so we built her an F-Zero machine with all of the scientific knowledge our civilization had to offer. To our surprise, she seems to have a natural talent for racing." he explains to me. Upon hearing that her servants built it, I'm a little concerned that he might have a bit too much confidence in his work. Then again, he did say she'd done this before… maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I guess we're about to find out… "It's starting."

As I hear the announcer counting down to start the race, my full attention is on the mistress' machine. And then, as the announcer says shouts "GO" to begin the race, it's gone in an instant like the rest of the machines into the tunnel at the start of the track. All I can hear now is the rampant cheering of the audience for their favorite racer. Holy crap, these things are fast… I've only ever seen these races on television screens where the cameras follow the racers with such ease, making them appear slower than the really are. Now that I actually have to follow the race with my own two eyes, I can see just how fast these F-Zero machines are. It makes me wonder how these pilots can stand the danger, the thought that you could die after rounding one corner in the track… if it weren't for the events from the past two days, I don't think I could even begin to understand how enjoyable the thrill of danger is.

My eyes search frantically for the princess' machine at the end of the tunnel, seeing a group of racers come out until I finally see hers… I feel relieved. Looking at the rankings screen, I see that she is currently in ninth position. I recall her starting in twenty-first, which is a favorable leap from the start of the race. Maybe this won't be so bad after all…

Those hopes are dashed when the pack of racers reaches the middle of their first lap. The floating track, which I'm pretty sure is supposed to hover and place and _not move_, actually starts to… well, move. It begins to tip downward in the direction the machines are headed in, and they immediately all start to break and turn around in a frenzied attempt to climb up the makeshift incline. This survival tactic is met with failure, however, as the track bends in a complete ninty-degree angle; fast as these machines might be, they still can't ride straight up against gravity. All of the racers begin to start spilling off of the track as the track itself slowly begins to descend to the ground. "Mister Ruffas, I don't think this is part of the show!" I shout to him over the cacophony of alarmed yelling from the other people present in this aircraft.

"No, definitely not…" he says in a very concerned tone, looking at the disaster unfolding before us. "I have to go down there, the mistress could be hurt."

"I'm coming with you." I say without hesitation, concerned myself for the princess' safety. She was the one who saved my life, after all… if she was in danger, I had to return the favor.

"Of course." he says, fully aware that I can take care of myself. The question now was, how were we going to get from up here down to there? Ruffas seemed to know a way, clambering his way through the panicking audience. I followed him through the crowd until we made our way down to what appeared to be a compartment in the floor. He opened it up and went inside, and I followed. This room… it looked like some kind of cockpit with three seats and a white interior, with a control panel at the front seat. I immediately knew that this was some kind of escape pod. "Strap yourself in, this isn't going to be a pleasant ride." he warns me. I do as he instructs, hopping into the left-most seat and strapping myself in. No doubt he's probably done this before as his hands type quickly on the control panel before a steering wheel of sorts comes out from under the panel. He grabs onto it, and we're suddenly launched from the aircraft, getting a view of the spinning forest around us. He was right, this wasn't at all pleasant; the constant spinning and erratic movements of this escape pod are quickly making me airsick…

This was brought to an abrupt end as we quickly crashed into the ground. For a moment I was worried that my seatbelt wouldn't hold, but thankfully it did. I know that we'll be running, so I mutter "PK Healing" and repair any injury or sickness that I got from this brief ride as he opens the exit door of the pod. He doesn't seem too fazed by the ride, likely because he's done it before. We both exit the pod…

Just in time to catch a horrible tremor through this thick forestry that knocks us both off of our feet. It must have been from the falling race track impacting the ground, and because of how huge the track is, we can clearly see through this thick forestry that it isn't done falling yet. We don't have much time. We run towards the place where the track hit the ground as fast as our legs can carry us, aware of the danger but knowing that the princess could easily be in a much worse situation.

We don't have to run far before we see a sign of life in the form of F-Zero machines, three of them heading right for us in an attempt to avoid the crashing race track. Two of them drive right by us, barely missing us, but the third stops in front of us. I recognize it, and am relieved; it's the princess' machine. Her cockpit opens and she immediately shouts, "Get in!" as she waves for us to get over there. As other F-Zero racers approach from afar, we don't hesitate. It is difficult for all three of us to crowd into a cockpit made for one, but we manage. I'm huddled up behind the left side of the pilot's chair, while Ruffas is standing up and bent down because of the cockpit's windshield. His grimace makes it evident that he is uncomfortable. As the machine starts to move again, the princess scolds us both, "What were you two doing, _trying_ to get flattened!?"

Ruffas is quick to retort, "We were looking for you, mistress!"

She groaned. "You really shouldn't worry about me so much!" she replies. I'm agape by this point; she doesn't think that getting hurled off of a massive, flying pile of metal and nearly getting crushed by it is cause for concern? I would've made a rebuttal to this right away if she weren't a princess, not to mention it isn't wise to distract the pilot of a vehicle going over seven-hundred miles per hour.

It didn't take long for the princess to find an actual road in this forest; I'm assuming she was aided by an on-board GPS, but I can't see it from where I'm sitting. In fact, I can't actually see the terrain we're riding on from this position; I can only assume we're on a road since the ride is considerably smoother now. I watch the speed gauge, the only part of the dashboard that I can clearly see, climb up to the thousands as we speed away from the crashing track. Even through the quiet interior of this machine, we can still hear the thunderous crashing of the Spiral race track behind us. "I think we're far enough away from the point of impact." Ruffas informed us, cueing the machine to come to a slow stop.

The cockpit opened, and the princess and Ruffas stepped out. I followed them, wondering what they were doing. They're looking at the parts of the track that are still visible through the foliage, falling down to the ground and crushing everything they came down on. While not as intense as before, we can still feel the ground shake as Spiral falls apart. My attention is drawn to the princess, stomping the ground. "I practice for this race for a week straight, and the whole damn track comes down when it finally starts!? What is this!?" she complains in a fit of rage.

Ruffas sighs with disdain. "It could've been much worse, mistress. This could've been your _last_ race. Ever." he tells her. He receives a glare from her, but nothing more than that. She knows that he's right. "Now, let me see your arm." Wait, what's wrong with her arm? Concerned, I run around to the other side of her to see and recoil in horror. I couldn't see it before since I was on the other side of her, but her right shoulder-guard is collapsed into her shoulder. An unhealthy amount of blood is flowing from it down her arm…

_Blood_…

Oh no… I can feel it again… that… urge for destruction… the memories are flooding back to me out of control… out of… _no_! I can't lose control now… before, it was because I was being attacked, when my life was in danger… this time, I'm around friends, people who seem to care for me… I… want to… NO! Not them! I can't turn my head away from the blood dripping from her shoulder as the man tries to remove the damaged shoulder-guard from her. It falls to the ground and she grunts through her teeth as he succeeds; the wound I see looks like someone drove a spike through it… spike… like when I used my PK Freeze to erupt that alien's blood to pierce his body… oh God, that was good… no, no,_ NO_! I can't get those urges now! But… I can't… I… can't…

I start to hyperventilate again as pressure builds up in my head… it hurts, God it hurts… I growl in discomfort and sink to my knees, reaching my hands into my hoody and holding my head, which feels like someone is swinging a wrecking ball around in it. It's at this point that my pain is noticed by the others. "Hey, Lucas? Are you alright!?" the princess says in alarm, crouching down in front of me to get a good look at me.

"My head… it hurts…" I tell her. "M… make it stop… make it stop!" God, it feels like my head is splitting in two. I can't stop the sights and sounds of devastation that I've caused from resurfacing, I see them all with staggering clarity… they make me… they make me feel sick… without warning, I feel the bile rising. All I can do is turn away from the princess before I retch onto the pavement below me.

"Oh my God!" she wails. It's the last thing I hear before the pain becomes too much and my vision is claimed by the darkness once again…


	4. Chapter 3: Sick

_Chapter 3: Sick_

_Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas..._

My name was being called out again and again, by these… faces… I'm not sure if they are faces, more like… random whip-stitches of bloody tissue, pulsing – actually pulsing – and spinning around me like a swarm of oversized insects as I float helplessly in the air. I don't know what these faces are, but I recognize their voices…

_Why… why did you kill us…_

_I never knew such a nice boy could be so heartless..._

_Saving the world my ass... you blew it all to hell…_

The accusations and insults continue, gradually getting louder in volume. "N-no… you don't understand!" I plead.

_I died to save you, and this is what you do with your life…?_

_Some little brother… you're way worse than a crybaby, you're a mass murderer…_

"Stop… _stop_…" My pleas fall on deaf ears as the voices increase in number and in volume. There is so much noise that it's causing my ears and my head to hurt… I… I can't take it anymore… they… they have to… "STOP!" I can't take it anymore. I charge up my PSI and unleashed as much as I can, just trying to make them _stop_…

--------------------

I am jarred awake by a sudden, blistering pain all over my body. It hurts… it hurts so much! I can't even scream, my teeth are clenched shut from biting back the pain as my body writhes and twitches. It feels like I'm being stabbed by white-hot needles all over… until it stops as suddenly as it started, leaving me aching and numb everywhere. I let out an anguished groan as my head leans back…

"Lucas!" "Well, talk about a rude awakening!" "Whoa, are you okay!?"

Am I okay? AM I OKAY!? Just hearing that makes me want to strangle the speaker; do I look okay to you!? "Won't… dignify… with… response…" is the only phrase I can get out. Even my jaws are aching…

Wait a minute, who was speaking? Finally, my eyes open… and I'm taken aback by the sheer amount of people who are staring down at me, some showing more concern than others. I immediately recognize the princess looming over me worriedly from my left, but… when I see no less than four other people in the room looking at me as well, I inwardly curse. I recognize all but one, and they're the last people I want to see right now. Starting from left to right, there's Captain Falcon, the bounty-hunting Smasher representing this world; he is a man in his late twenties or thirties – can't really tell – that sports a blue spandex racing uniform and red, leather gloves and boots. His helmet is crowned with his trademark golden falcon decoration and also has a black visor to hide the upper part of his face; As far as I know, he's never taken that helmet off.

To the left of him – which is my right – Master Hand floats, covered in a myriad of patches and stitches, probably quick patch-work to heal the damage I caused him. Beside him is his typical partner for missions and other unknown affairs, Mewtwo. He is a Pokémon – the name comes from another dimension – or rather a Poké_clone_ created from another rarer and legendary Pokémon's DNA. He is taller than Falcon, and is built like a hybrid of a slender-but-muscular human and a cat, only without hair or fur of any kind. Most of his body is creamy white with the exception of his stomach area and all the way down to his long tail which, along with his eyes, are purple. He has psychic powers like me, but they aren't really the same… Mewtwo's powers are of a different breed, and he is much more experienced and competent with them than I am with mine.

Standing beside Mewtwo is someone I've never seen before, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a white lab coat and has short brown hair. To his right is Ness… probably the only person in this crowd that I'm a little pleased to see, until I realize it was him that asked if I was okay when he can damn well see that I'm not. He wears a red baseball cap with a blue rim and a shirt with stripes like mine, only coloured blue and yellow instead. Our shorts are oddly simlar, though he has the string of his trademark yo-yo hanging out of it, and he wears a small brown backpack wherever he goes. He's psychic too, but unlike Mewtwo he practices the same kind of psychic power that I do, but prefers more powerful attacks as opposed to my more strategic ones. "Holy crap, Lucas, what've you done to yourself…?" Ness asks with genuine concern in his eyes and in his voice. Something he appeared to be saving only for me, as he quickly turned to the stranger in the room and spat, "You call this 'stable!?' He's a wreck!"

"He _is_ stable." the stranger among the group replies calmly. "…Well, theoretically he is. Those sparks of energy haven't been doing any more damage to his body, only causing him discomfort…" Now that is a big understatement. Apparently this man is a doctor… which means I must be in a hospital. "I'm sorry that I can't be of more help, but I've never seen a condition like this."

Great, the last thing I need right now is to be sick. "What… condition…" I manage to get out.

"You're… you're… uhh…" Ness tries and fails to put something into words. "Mewtwo, could you explain it again for Lucas?"

"_Of course."_ I don't feel the least bit comfortable as Mewtwo's voice invades my mind, no doubt probing it for my secrets, but I would really like to know what I'm doing in this hospital bed. _"Lucas, you are very mentally ill. Even I find your case pitiable... I've been kind enough not to look into what traumatic experiences led you to destroy three Red Alloys and seven – or possibly eight – living beings-"_

"_I beg your pardon!"_ I blast back at him. Not just he, but everyone recoils in slight shock; he must be relaying my thoughts to the others along with his own… which is good, it means I don't need to use my aching jaw to speak. _"You told them _that_!?"_

He gives me a sorrowful gaze. _"Actually no... it was on the news. We simply put two-and-two together."_ he corrects me. A scoff is my reply. _"Regardless, these experiences have made your mind so unstable that your PSI is starting to affect your thoughts and actions."_

"_How so?"_

"_You see, PSI is very hard to maintain depending on the stability of your mind. Like memories, PSI is easily drawn out by a particular experience, like your recent episodes with the sight of blood..."_ I shudder. Did he have to bring that up? _"Unfortunately Lucas, your PSI has become tied to these sights. When you saw Miss Princia's bleeding arm, it triggered another moment of bloodlust... which you tried to suppress. However, it unknowingly triggered a chain reaction with your PSI as well. You know that when you charge up enough energy, it must be released. When you fought it back and didn't release it in the traditional way, it essentially tore through your body in an attempt to escape..."_

"He's not kidding, Lucas." the princess says to me, who I now know as Princia. I find the name and her position somewhat funny… oh crap, I hope Mewtwo didn't read that. "After you were sick, you lit up like a roman candle. I burned my hands just trying to get close to you… I had to wait until it died down. You… if we'd gotten you here any later... you… could've…" I can see her start to cry a little… I get the message loud and clear, shuddering inwardly. If I could speak, I'd tell her that I was sorry she was hurt. I definitely didn't mean to…

"_If such a thing happens again, Lucas, your only choice is to release your PSI in the form of an attack."_ Mewtwo telepathed to me. _"You were lucky you weren't incinerated, and you might not be so lucky if it happens again."_

At the prospect of this, I am outraged. _"You mean it's a choice of blowing myself up or mass murder? Are you kidding me!?"_

"_I never said you had to fire it at a living being!"_ Mewtwo retorts. _"But you need to get rid of the built-up energy somehow."_ Now that I actually realize what he means, I feel stupid and disgusted with myself… I hadn't even thought I didn't have to hit someone with it, I could just shoot it into the sky or something. Why didn't I think of that? Am I really that bloodthirsty?

"Needless to say, you're going to be out of action for a while." Master Hand informs me. "In your current state, you're a danger to yourself and anything around you. I simply can't have someone so unstable and unpredictable in my manor."

Blunt as his words are, they are the truth. Ness and Princia glare at him because of his cruelty, but neither of them say anything. "I'm afraid the bad news gets worse, Lucas." the doctor addresses me. "This 'PSI' discharge you suffered before still has some lingering effects… it periodically surges in your body, just like when you woke up. They've been getting gradually less intense, they're not burning you any more… but we don't have a quick fix for it. The only thing you can do is tough it out, I'm afraid."

I groan at the knowledge of this. _"How long…?"_

"We can't be sure, but we estimate that it'll last with you for the next day or two." the doctor replies.

Well, that's just _great_. _"For the time being, I can only suggest a few solutions to help you until we can find a way to quell your insomnia."_ Mewtwo telepaths. _"First and foremost, refrain from using your PSI; for all we know it might cause another moment of bloodlust simply by activating it, not to mention that it could cause serious damage to you if you can't focus it. Second, try to avoid places where things like blood are easily visible, it's definitely a trigger and we don't want to set you off again. Third, don't come into contact with anyone else but the Smashers and your friend here. Like the incident on the tower, you don't know who might want to hurt you... and you know what the result will be."_

"Wait Mewtwo, didn't you say you could block his PSI or something?" Ness asked.

"_I did, but that was before I knew that he was in such a state. To try such a procedure now would prove fatal to him, and perhaps even myself."_ Mewtwo replied. To be perfectly honest, by this point I would sooner die than go on another rampage with my PSI… not to mention that I wouldn't ever have to wake up like this again. But to put Mewtwo's life on the line? No, I couldn't put him in that much danger…

My train of thought is cut off as the doctor's words prove to be true; another surge of PSI energy rocks my body, and I feel myself go numb with pain again… they all look down upon me with helpless looks on their faces; we all know there's nothing they can do about it… "It's going to be like this for a while, Lucas… but there's nothing we can do." the doctor reaffirms.

"I know it's not much, but we can still offer you moral support… they'll be in Mute City for a while, so we're all here for you if you need us, Lucas…" Princia said. This confuses me… why would they be staying? I understand that they're concerned about me, but they still have jobs to do as Super Smash Brothers… something isn't right. My thoughts are interrupted by Princia's glove rubbing my forehead. I then see a puzzled expression cross her face. "Wow… your head is really hot… I can feel it through my glove." She turns to Mewtwo. "Should he have this bad of a fever?"

Curious, Mewtwo hovers to her side of the bed and feels my forehead for himself. I shudder as his cold touch. To my dismay, his head shakes. _"No, this shouldn't be… even with his mind and PSI in such a state, a fever shouldn't be present at all."_ Damn, now I'm sick with a fever… can this get any worse? _"Lucas, did you get this recently?"_

"_No, I didn't... I had a headache before I passed out last, but that's all..."_ I answer him.

"_Then why..."_ Mewtwo stops himself, and both he and Ness look at each other with equally grim expressions. I've figured it out by now too; a randomly-accumulated fever can only mean one thing…

Neither of them are really surprised to hear me groan. "And the bad news just keeps coming… he's starting to realize a new PSI ability." Ness informs everyone in the room who isn't knowledgeable of PSI.

"_Another reason for you to refrain from using PSI for the time being, Lucas."_ Mewtwo tells me. _"Since we have no idea what this new ability is going to be, we don't know how it will affect you or what it could be like if you enter an insane state again. Surely you've noticed that your PSI is more powerful while you have no control over your mind."_ Unfortunately, I realize that Mewtwo is right. The PK Fire, Freeze, and Thunder I inexplicably gained before becoming a Smasher were mediocre at best, just like Ness'. It's what happens when you use PSI that you aren't used to using. But when I was lost in my bloodlust, my PSI had to be at least three times more powerful… the prospect of realizing a new PSI ability without any idea of what destruction it could cause is frightening. _"You shouldn't have to worry too much, however. If you refrain from using your PSI, the realization will be delayed until you start to use it again."_

"_No PSI, no disaster... got it."_ I tell him.

Suddenly we hear a beeping that isn't the heart monitor beside my bed… it sounds more like a watch alarm. Promptly, the doctor looks at his own watch and frowns. "Ohh… I hate to be a wet blanket, but visitation hours just ended…"

"Aw, c'mon!" Ness complained. "Our friend is suffering here, and we can't be here to help him through it!?"

"In case you weren't listening, there _is_ nothing else we can do for him. And we can't make exceptions for patients, rules are rules." the doctor bluntly states. Ness growls, not happy with this at all, but he sighs in defeat.

He then hugs me loosely, being careful not to hurt me. He fails, I still sting a little. "Get well soon, buddy…" he tells me before letting go.

"You're a tough kid, Lucas. We know you'll pull through." Captain Falcon, who had yet to say anything throughout the entire conversation until now, assures me.

"_We'll be watching closely, Lucas."_ Mewtwo telepaths to me before heading to the door, followed by Ness, Captain Falcon and Master Hand. Princia stops at the door and turns to me for a brief moment before exiting, and the doctor closes the door behind her.

I'm confused as to why he hasn't left the room. "Something… wrong?" I ask him, before another discharge of PSI rattles me. God, this is already getting annoying fast.

"That's what's wrong." he answers, reaching over beside the bed for something. He holds it up over my head so I can see; it's a breathing mask off of a respirator. "Getting rest will be quite a chore if you keep having those discharge spasms, so I'm going to give you a bit of sleeping gas, okay?"

I don't argue, wanting relief from this pain. "Okay…" I reply. He gently places the mask over my faces as I hear him turning some knobs. I start to feel drowsy… it doesn't take long before I fall asleep again…


	5. Chapter 4: Memories

_Chapter 4: Memories_

This place… I remember it. It's one the floors in the Empire Porky Building… but how? This building, along with the entire God-forsaken city it stood in, were destroyed… and yet, here I am, walking in this hundred-story tall building. "Hello?" I call out, only receiving my own echo as a reply as I wander this small floor… it's the same place where we discovered the house of the seventh Magypsy that I am standing in front of now. To this day, I still can't believe that it was Fassad all along… a traitor to his own kind. I remember Kumatora being so angry that she nearly torched the shell-shaped house, but somehow we managed calm her down…

I decide to keep going, coming to the elevator in the next room. Even the mouse that Fassad used to take care of is absent. With nowhere else to go, I enter the elevator. I lost count of how many times we had to ride this contraption when we were here trying to reach Porky, the elevator's P.A. constantly informing us that we were about to be dropped off at the 100th floor when in reality we were just going up by a few at a time.

I'm puzzled about where to go next, up to the 100th floor or down to the ground floor just so I can get out of here… but my decision is made for me, as the elevator immediately starts to plummet. I gasp in alarm as lack of gravity starts to take me off of the floor, but I fight it, pinning myself to the ground and bracing myself against the walls with my hands. It isn't long before the elevator stops its rapid descent, the impact sending me flying out of the now-open doors and into… a red liquid…

I immediately rise to the surface as I realize where I am; the floor with all of those Hippo Launcher chimeras. But the area is almost pitch black, there are no Hippo Launchers here, and this is definitely not water… this is _blood_. I've certainly been around it enough times to recognize it on sight, and now I'm covered in it. I'm revolted. I quickly scramble my way to the edge of this makeshift river, noticing that this blood is the only thing remotely bright in the room; everything else is lost in the darkness. But I would sooner be wandering on darkness then swimming through this blood.

But as I try to pull myself up onto dry land, my leg is caught on something… I look down at it and shriek in terror; my ankle is in the tight grasp of a decomposing hand, torn up so badly that its bones are visible. With no more warning than that, the owner of the hand explodes out of the river of blood and grabs me by my shirt, pulling me back down into it…

I'm submerged face-up, forced to close my eyes as the blood stings them… though it's not as if I can see through the thick substance anyway. I try to fight my way out of the assailant's stubborn grip, struggling to breathe. Suddenly, I begin to hear voices… and with each voice I hear, I am grabbed by someone else, forced down into this source of life that is causing me to drown… if they don't stop… I know that I promised that I can't use my PSI, but… I'm not strong enough to fight these people off… if I don't…

Suddenly, I feel no more blood on my eyes… but as I open them, I see that I am still submerged and still drowning… it's then that I see the blood trying to take the form of something… a face… a… skull… an inhuman-looking skull that has to be twice the size of my own, its jaw stretched out and dangling with razor sharp teeth, with pitch-black eyes that look like they're gazing into my soul… I fight harder to get out of the river, away from this… _thing_, but more arms are holding me down… it's getting closer… my ears are deafened by a monstrous roar from its mouth as it moves towards me with surprising speed, and I close me eyes as it is about to swallow me whole…

--------------------

My eyes snap open and my mouth releases a shriek as I feel caught in something, struggling to break free. "Lucas! Lucas! It's alright, I'm here! The nightmare is over!" I hear a voice plead. I recognize it… it belongs to Princia. Slowly I realize that what I'm being pinned down by are her arms, trying to stop me from struggling and flailing. It's then that I notice that I'm no longer in the river of blood, about to be consumed by a monster… but instead in my hospital bed, the only thing I'm wet with being my own sweat. I stop struggling against Princia's grip, trying to slow my erratic breathing down as my awareness returns. My head rolls to my right so I can see Princia looking at me with concern. "It's okay… it's over…" she says soothingly.

Another nightmare… why does this keep happening? I've asked myself this question so many times over the last few years, never getting an answer. Am I going to be doomed to this insanity, this madness? Just the thought of it brings tears to me eyes… its then that Princia pulls me from the covers of the bed into an embrace, similar to last night. She must've noticed I was going to cry, and I don't disappoint her as tears start streaming down my face… "Is this… what it's going to be like… every time… I fall asleep…?" I think aloud through my sobbing. She doesn't reply, but she does rub my back in an attempt to comfort me…

When I'm finally able to stop crying, I pull back from her hug and look her in the eye. She looks at me with a sad smile and asks, "Feeling better?" I'm about to nod to her that I am, but I feel an unnatural heat growing in my body. For a brief moment, I become numb and stiff as stone… I know what this is; the PSI discharge. "Oh dear… that hasn't worn off yet?"

As the numbness fades, I shiver. "It doesn't hurt nearly as badly now… good thing the doctor was smart enough to put me to sleep so I didn't have to suffer through it." I tell her; she doesn't look entirely convinced. "Don't worry, Mewtwo knows what he's talking about when it comes to psychic stuff… I'll be fine." I reassure her. She smiles sweetly, and I realize that this is the first time I can get a close up look at her face, looking into her violet eyes… I didn't have the chance before to notice how beautiful she really is. When it finally occurs to me that I'm in the arms of this beautiful woman, I can't prevent the blush from coming to my face. I look away in embarrassment. "S-so, uhh… Princia, right?" I ask, failing miserably to cover up how awkward I feel.

"Mm-hm." she replies. "The doctor says your condition can only get better with time, so he's cleared you to go. I thought I'd come and pick you up, maybe show you around Mute City?"

I blink and think about it for a quick second; since Master Hand has officially put me on leave, I won't be returning to the Smash Manor any time soon. I could be here for a while… "I think I'd like that, Miss… uhh…" I trail off; I know her real name, but I have to keep in mind that she is still a princess. "What do you like to be called, 'Princess,' 'Mistress' or…"

"Oh no, no." She chuckles a bit. "I don't really care for formalities. Princia is fine." I feel so relieved upon hearing her say that… having to live with two princesses back at the Smash Mansion has had me on edge, constantly trying not to get on their bad sides from doing something that wasn't proper "etiquette" or whatever they called it. She's seems to be someone that I can treat like I would any other person…

My thoughts are disturbed as I feel my stomach rumble; we both look down at it, and my blush reddens. "Eh-heh… well, it has been a few hours since I ate…" I'm only guessing, I don't know what time it was since I last fell unconscious – unwillingly, I'm not counting the doctor putting me to sleep – and what time is now.

"More than half a day, actually." Princia informs me before giving me a small grin. "I think I know where we're going first. I'll wait for you outside then?"

I smile back at her. "I'll be out as soon as I get changed." I tell her, and she nods before leaving me with some privacy. I notice that a new set of neatly-folded clothes is sitting on the chair beside the one she was sitting on. I gladly remove this hospital patient gown and put the new clothing on, The style remains the same – she must know how much I like stripes – but the colours are different; the stripes of my shirt are black and yellow, and my shorts are a dark blue. I wonder why I wasn't given the same clothing as before, but can only surmise that they were destroyed when the first PSI discharge happened. Princia _did_ say that I'd went up like a firecracker, so it's safe to assume that my previous clothes were burnt beyond repair. I wish I could deal with the bed-head that I know I have right now, but with no comb or mirror the best I can do is smooth it out with my hand. I'm sure it doesn't turn out well.

I rush to join Princia out in the hall, and I finally take notice that her clothing has changed as well; she wears a pink jacket with a red tube top, blue jeans and some thick, pink high heels. Her gloves, goggles and her trademark hairstyle are still present… and I thought _my_ hairstyle was difficult to maintain. That must be murder to deal with every morning. She smiles warmly and asks, "Ready to go?"

I nod and reply, "As ready as I'll get."

--------------------

Calling the hovering limousine that we ride in "classy" is an understatement. The vehicle's exterior is red with tinted windows, but the inside is absolutely stunning. I don't see the front seats, but the back is a wide and long space with both the wide seats and the floor matted with a comfortable, crimson carpeting. The interior is a dull gold colour with a built-in black cooler containing refreshments, and the dim lights give it a somewhat romantic feeling. To be honest I was expecting something like this from a princess, but this still blew those expectations away.

As the limousine's driver takes us to a restaurant that Princia picked out, we strike up a conversation. She sits across from me. "So, what's it like to be a Smasher?" she asks me. "It has to be fun from what I've seen…"

"Well, it can be…" I reply. "Some of the fights we get into are really intense… and funny. I remember being in a match when Captain Falcon slipped on a banana peel, and then an exploding crate landed on him."

She laughs heartily. "Oh God, I saw that match… I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life…" Even I begin to chuckle a little at the memory… it gave Captain Falcon a much-needed bruise to the ego. "You know, I was a contestant in the Brawl tournament…"

Naturally, this surprises me. "Wow, really? You can fight?" I'm then reminded of the real reason for the tournament: if you can make it into the semi-final, then you become an official Smasher.

"Yes, I practiced my heart out for it. You'd be surprised what a little magic can do." she replies. Truthfully, I'm not as surprised as she might think; Zelda can wield some pretty powerful magic herself. "But I didn't make it, though… Sonic beat me in the quarter-final."

"Aww… that's rotten luck." Most people who pay close attention to the Super Smash Brothers fights think that Sonic wins by flukes. I thought so too until I faced the hedgehog myself; Sonic might not hit as hard as the other Smashers, but he definitely hits faster than the rest. I managed to win that match by the skin of my teeth, and it still baffles me to no end how I pulled it off.

"So close, yet so far away… but I still had lots of fun though." Princia tells me. She doesn't seem to be too bummed out about it. Though thinking about it, maybe it's a good thing she didn't get into Super Smash Brothers… I wonder if she's even aware of what we really do? "But, there's something I don't understand… how did you become a Smasher, Lucas?"

"Huh?" This question catches me off-guard. Along with another PSI discharge. I'm really starting to hate this…

She winces at my sudden moment of pain, but apparently decides to ignore it. "How did you get in? I don't remember you being at the tournament…" Princia clarifies.

"Err… it's a… long story…" To be honest, it's a story I don't want to tell. Back when the Subspace Emissary attacked, I wasn't really a Smasher, but a little boy who was simply lost in a foreign world. It was my helping the other Smashers that got me a place in the manor. But I can't explain that to her without going into stories about me past… and it's not something I want to relive.

She seems to notice my change in attitude. "Uhh… did I say something wrong?"

"No… no…" I assure her. "It's just… not a good memory…"

"Is it safe to guess that it has something to do with your… condition?" I look up at her with shock in my eyes; she pieced that together awfully fast. She leans closer to me, closing the small distance between our seats. "Sometimes it helps to talk, you know…" she tells me. But I just look away; I haven't even told the people I live with about my past… I really don't feel comfortable telling my life's story to this girl that I barely know. "Okay, how about this… why don't we swap stories? I tell you mine and you tell me yours?" I look at her incredulously; what kind of tragedies could _she_ have in her life? It can't possibly be as bad as mine… "I know what you're thinking. Living in the lap of luxury is all smiles and sunshine, right?" Pretty much, yeah. "Wrong. I'll tell you my story if you promise to tell me yours… is that okay?"

I have to think about this for a moment. This girl, who I met no more than two days ago and turns out to be a princess is asking to hear the horrors of my past, telling me that hers isn't so bright either… it does make me a little curious, how this carefree girl has to put up with things similar to what Princess Peach and Princess Zelda deal with in their own kingdoms. And she knows that my mind is dangerously off-kilter, and she has yet to see me in a full-blown episode… she has to be aware of this, and yet she wants to brave the danger and reach out to me. Hell, she even saved my life… twice, both times in the Green Plant area. Maybe after going through all of that for me, she deserves an explanation… "Okay… but only if you tell me yours."

Princia grins broadly. "That's the spirit."

We are interrupted by the voice of the limo driver. "We've arrived, Mistress." To my surprise, it's the voice of a female. So not all of Princia's servants are male? That relieves me, it means that my initial thoughts of her running a reverse harem have now been completely debunked.

I slide open the door for Princia, following the unspoken "ladies first" rule. She chuckles a little as she exits and I follow her out, closing the door behind me. The building we're standing in front of is a restaurant judging from the neon sign – unlit since its daytime – in the shape of a bowl of steaming soup with foreign lettering under it, but it has to be the biggest restaurant I've ever seen. It's three floors tall, and upon entering I can see that it has quite a large interior. As Princia speaks with the waiter about getting a table, I notice that we're attracting quite a few stares… well, more of them are being directed at her than at me. I assume it's because they weren't expecting a princess of to be here. Nonetheless, even if it's indirect, I don't like getting this much attention…

Princia taps my shoulder to make me stop daydreaming, and I see that the waiter is leading her up the stairs. I quickly follow, eager to get away from these prying eyes. Just before I ascend however, my PSI sickness reminds me of its existence with another tensing of my muscles, but it only lasts for a second or two. We climb two sets of stairs, bringing us up to the third floor. Thankfully this section of the restaurant doesn't have nearly as many people as the previous floors, making me a little less jumpy. We take a table at the wall and he gives us our menus, waiting patiently for our orders. All of the food I see looks so expensive and strange… I eventually settle for the only meal I recognize, a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"So… do you want to hear my story first, or should I go first?" Princia asks me as the waiter walks off with our orders.

"Uhh… ladies first?" I tell her.

She chuckles a little bit. "Oh, you…" I blush. "Well, where should I start…?"

There was one thing about her past that I've been curious about since I realized she was popular for more than just being a princess, and so I asked, "How about how you started racing in the F-Zero?"

"Hm… yes, that'll work… it all started when I snuck out of my palace on Magica…" she began, and I'm immediately interested at the mention of foul play. "My father is very strict around me, almost controlling… it seems like the only thing he wants is for me to succeed him, like it's all he's ever cared about since I was born. I was lucky to even get a few steps out of the palace without him knowing, so one night I snuck out with a few of my servants, doing what I'd always wanted; exploring the galaxy. I'd always wanted to see what was out there… and when I came across Earth, the first thing I saw was the F-Zero races. That thrill, that excitement is what I've been searching for all my life, but I never got to experience anything because of my father. My life was boring before I came across the F-Zero…"

"But doesn't your father worry about you?" I have to ask. "I don't think I'll ever really understand how people can put up with that danger…"

"Oh… hm, I've never had to worry about it. My machine might get turned into scrap metal like in any other accident, but the inside of it is built strong. I've crashed, but nothing really serious…" she assures me. "And as for my father… yes, he does worry about me. It was almost funny how angry he was when he first found out I was on Earth; I just told him I was 'getting more experience' before I become queen. He has threatened to come and take me back, but even he wouldn't dare to cross the biggest corporation in the galaxy…" She stops there for a moment and sighs, a sad demeanor taking over. "To be honest, I never wanted to become queen… I still don't. To most people it might seem like the greatest thing in the world, but for me… when I do become queen, this freedom that I have will disappear. And I don't want to lose it…"

I slowly begin to understand what she means. If the trials that Princess Peach and Princess Zelda went through were any indication, running a kingdom isn't all fun and games, in fact it couldn't be further from it. Sure, there were childish tyrants like Porky who literally brainwashed all of their subjects, but if that brainwashing were to be taken away and you tried to govern justly… I imagine running an entire nation would be very difficult. It would require every moment of time Princia could devote to it, and even time she couldn't and _didn't_ want to… I realize that there's more to her career as an F-Zero racer than just the thrill. "It's not just about the thrill… you race because it's the only thing keeping you free."

"Exactly… if I didn't have F-Zero… I don't know what my life would be like. I don't want to imagine how sheltered and dull it would be…" She looks back at me with a small smile, her mood a little lightened up. I can tell that it must feel good to get that off of her chest. "And that's my story. Now… it's your turn."

I had been so absorbed in her tale that I'd forgotten the promise I made: to exchange my story for hers. I'm a little nervous, I've never told anyone this before, not even my fellow Smashers or my best friend… but a promise is a promise, I never go back on my word. After all, getting a load off of her chest seemed to help Princia, so maybe it will help me too… I take a deep breath and exhale. "Okay…"

And so I begin my tale. Princia was kind enough not to leave out any important details in her story, so I share the same respect. I tell her everything like I'm reading a short story, reliving the events all the way from the death of my mother to the decisive battle with my brother. I then tell her about the Subspace Emissary incident and the events afterward, when I learn about Master Hand's deception to hide the truth of my world's fate, and my first psychotic episode.

"…And you know the rest. I'm unconscious in the Green Plant area, where you find me." I finish. I'm expecting her to have dozed off because of my long-winded story, but I'm not prepared for what she is really doing.

She's crying. To my disbelief, she's crying. "You… poor thing… you entire life when you were growing up… has been nothing but fighting and tragedy… you poor, tortured soul…" she says through her sobs.

I reach out my hand to try and steady her shaking shoulder, then reach out the other to wipe the tears from her face. "H-hey, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you cry…" I tell her.

"No, it's alright… It's just so… sad… I had no idea there were people out there who could… _live_ with things like this…" She looks at me, her crying stopping. "With a life like that, it's no wonder you're had psychotic episodes… why, I'm surprised you haven't become a villain of your own right, there are people around here who have turned to crime for a lot less…"

To be honest, there are times when I've pondered that too… "If I hadn't met Ness and the Smashers when I did… I probably would've." I tell her. "But they helped me like… like they were my family. They gave me a new home, a chance for me to make sure that what happened to me doesn't happen to anyone else." But at remembering what I've done recently… my expression turns grim. "I almost can't believe that I'm the one who caused eight deaths… I wouldn't be surprised if you think I'm a monster…"

"Lucas, that's not true." She has my full attention with a new sternness in her voice. "If you were a monster, you wouldn't have left your home for dead… it might not've turned out the way you wanted, but at least you _tried_ to save everyone. You really did try. You're not a monster... you're a sweet boy, Lucas."

If it were anyone else, I'd think they're lying… but I can tell that she's being sincere. To hear those words truthfully and directed at me… my gratitude can't be expressed in words. My eyes start to tear up before I reach across the table and hug her, and she is quick to return it, running her hand through my hair.

"Am I interrupting something?" The voice startles us both; we both look to the side of the table to see the waiter with our meals, waiting to put them down. I blush and grin sheepishly; I must be in the way. I crawl back to my seat to see that Princia is blushing as well, but smiling in spite of it. The waiter sets our meals down, Princia pays the fee and we start to dig in.

"So…" she breaks the silence. "Does it feel good to get that off of your chest?"

I can only smile. "Yes… yes it does…"


	6. Chapter 5: Rage

_Chapter 5: Rage_

Princia and I spent the entire day together, getting to know each other better while she led me around Mute City, seeing the sights and participating in the wide array of activities the city had to offer. Between the fights in the Smash Mansion and having to save the worlds from whatever evils should pop up, I had been starting to forget that there were ways to have fun other than that constant fighting. Yet another thing I'm indebted to her for…

Currently, our escapade had led us to a downtown arcade. The walls of the building were painted red and the floors and ceiling were black, and the place was bustling with adults and children, both human and alien. There were too many games to count, flashing lights and screens displaying popular games dotting the walls and some centre, out-of-the-way portions of the floor.

We wormed our way through the crowds of gaming and cheering people, trying to search for a game that we might like. Eventually Princia grabbed my arm to stop me, and I saw that her gaze had fallen on a crowd of people. What did she see? "Oh, DDR! I've always wanted to try one of those!" she said excitedly, dragging me along with her through the crowd, not that I mind. I briefly wonder how she is able to tell that it's a Dance Dance Revolution platform through all of those people, especially since I can't see it… but then again she _is_ taller than me.

We get to the end of the crowd just in time to see someone stepping down from the platform, a pale-skinned, brown-haired teenage male who looked a little peeved. He probably lost whoever he was playing against, who I see is a dark-skinned male with long black hair and a short-sleeved red shirt, long black jeans and so much jewelry and bling on him that it almost hurts my eyes. "And that's victim number 9! Who wants to be next!?" he shouts out to the crowd.

"Ugh, what a blowhard." I say just loud enough so Princia can hear.

I can hear her humming anxiously. She asks me, "Maybe I should take him down a peg, what do you think?" She earns a surprised glance from me, but before I can even speak she's dumping her jacket in my hands and running up onto the stage. I think she's being a little rash here; she _is _a princess after all… but no one seems to make anything of it, cheering her on like she were just another person, or looking at her with a snobby expression in the current winner's case. They must think she's just another party girl, which is good since we don't have to worry about any awkward situations. I suddenly feel myself getting excited at the thought of seeing her dance, cheering her on. I blush as she winks back at me before turning to the screen. And then the dance duel begins, and I watch her attentively. Despite having to work with the limited physics of the DDR pad, her movements are mesmerizing… I can't even take my eyes off of her.

That is, until I am interrupted by someone shouting in my ear about a third of the way through the song. "ANYONE HOME IN THERE!?"

I almost jump five feet into the air at being started like that, spinning on my heel about to smack the one that disturbed me. Until I see his hat… "Ness!? For crying out loud, I almost had a heart attack!"

Yes, that's definitely Ness, judging from his hearty laughter. "I called you three times, man! Are you that into the princess?"

"Wh-wh-what!?" I stammer, my face going beet red. "N-no! We're nothing like that!"

"Puh-lease!" he says, poking my reddened cheek with his finger. "Your face doesn't lie, Luke, you've fallen for her hard…" he insists.

"But-but-but…" I stutter, trying to think of a retort. But as I do, I'm forced to think of past experiences with Princia… while I haven't known her long, we've already had our share of awkward moments, and I've definitely got to know her better throughout the day… I can't deny that I've developed a crush on her. I look at Ness, who is grinning mischievously as he waits for a response, trying to suppress laughter at my flustered face. As annoying as it was to admit, he had read me like a book. "Is it really that obvious…?" I mutter, conceding defeat. But I quickly change the subject, not waiting for him to gloat as I ask the obvious question, "So what are you doing here?"

He puts his hands behinds his head and says, "Ol' Falcon was showing me around town… he's getting something to eat while I check out the games here, and that's when I saw Princia up on the DDR platform… that hairstyle is impossible to miss." I want to come up with a reprisal here about him badmouthing Princia's appearance, but saying it stands out in a crowd isn't really badmouthing, not to mention true.

All I can do is rub the back of my neck sheepishly, chuckling. That's when I remember to ask something I've been thinking of since I woke up in the hospital… "Sooo… when are you going to tell me why you guys are staying in town?"

"Huh?" He raises an eyebrow.

"C'mon, I know you guys are concerned about me, but you still have jobs to do as Smashers. Especially Master Hand and Mewtwo." I remind him. "I can't be the only reason you're still in this world."

Now it's Ness' turn to rub chuckle nervously and rub the back of his neck. "Yyyeah, you're right… Master Hand didn't want you to get worried though. You _are_ on official leave, remember?"

"I haven't forgotten, but I would like to know what the deal is."

Ness shakes his head. "It's nothing to lose your head over. Just going behind the scenes to take some bad guy out from behind the scenes, the usual." He then leans in close to me and says, "If there's one thing that worries me though, it's Master Hand and Mewtwo helping us on this mission."

I nod, understanding what he means. For as long as I've been a part of Super Smash Brothers, I've only known Master Hand and Mewtwo to be the people who coordinate the missions we go on, and Mewtwo doubles as a counselor. It's not as if the Pokéclone stays at the manor all the time, but this is the first time _I've_ ever seen him away from it. Not to mention that whenever he _does_ leave the manor, he _never, ever_ goes with Master Hand; they always wind up arguing and trying to steal away command of the mission from each other. For them to actually be together in the same place… I could only imagine that something big was going down, something bigger than my psychotic episodes… but like Ness said though, it wasn't my place to worry right now. I'm on vacation, recovering my sanity.

Remembering that, I turn my attention back to the DDR match where the song seems to be almost over, and to my amusement Princia is beating the guy's pants off. People in the crowd who were cheering for the man before were now cheering for this mesmerizing girl that they didn't know, and Ness and I cheered along with them. Before long the song is over, and the screen displays their results… the man got a B, while Princia got an A. The cheering has to at least double in volume, and I'm trying to cheer the loudest. They cheer for an encore, but she seems more interested in me, hopping down from the stage and walking towards me. "You were amazing! I didn't know you could dance like that!" I exclaim as I hand back her jacket.

"You must not know me very well then." Princia jeers as she slips the jacket back over her shoulders.

The three of us make our way out of the crowd of cheering people before resuming the conversation, now that we can hear each other. "So how're you feeling now, Lucas? That PSI discharge stuff still bothering you?" Ness asks me.

It's only then that I'm reminded of that sickness… it was forgotten during the entire day I spent with Princia. If I had suffered any discharges after I left the restaurant, I didn't notice them. "I think it might've worn off by now, actually… I haven't been feeling it all day."

He smiles at me. "That's good to hear." He starts to say something else, but I let out a big yawn and miss it… I almost can't believe how tired I am all of the sudden, but then again we've been out at the town all day.

"What time is it…?" I ask myself before searching the upper parts of the walls for a clock. I'm surprised to see that it displays 11:36, almost midnight. Just thinking about it causes me to yawn again and stretch my arms out.

"Aww, are you getting tired?" Princia asks me sweetly, kneeling down beside me… before yawning herself. "Wow, so am I. Maybe we should head home."

At the mention of the word "home," I feel a little uncomfortable. The only place I've ever really called home was Tazmily Village… in a way, I still can't help but think of it as home. The Smash Mansion and Princia's house are both very accommodating… but I don't think I can ever think of them as my real home. But all the same, I have nowhere else to go right now, and I certainly can't complain about my friend offering me shelter… and after what she's done for me out of nothing more than the goodness of her heart, I'm glad I can call her my friend.

"Ehh, well I guess Ol' Falcon will be getting worried about me now, I'd better go back to him." Ness tells us. "See you around Lucas." He then leans into my ear and whispers, "Don't get too rough with her tonight."

"_Ness_!" I shout out, about to tackle him before Princia stops me and drags me off. He laughs, and I shake my fist at him vowing revenge.

--------------------

We're driving back to Princia's house now, and I'm struggling to stay awake until we arrive. I don't want to be a bother and make someone have to carry my sleeping body into the bedroom when we get there. She looks at me with an amused smile as I try to stave off unconsciousness. "You don't have to stay awake for the whole ride, you know, we're kind of used to carrying you to bed." she jokes.

I yawn again before replying, "No, I don't want to be a bother like that again…"

But she doesn't want to take no for an answer, it seems. "It's not a bother… it's not like you're heavy or anything."

"I know, but it still has to be annoying…"

Princia opens her mouth to speak, when suddenly we can feel the limousine make a violent bump. "What on earth was that?" she mutters, pressing the button to contact the driver. "What just happened?"

"It wasn't my fault!" The driver's voice is in a panicked tone. "That bump was from an impact! We're under attack, Mistress!"

"I BEG YOUR PARDON!?" the princess shrieks. A million possibilities of what is happening are going through my head now, and none of them are good. If we actually are under attack, there's nothing I can do. I'm not supposed to use my PSI, or I could go into another episode. I'm defenseless right now. If we're attacked now, for whatever reason… I desperately hope the driver is just senile or something, but as I look out the back window, I see that I'm hopelessly wrong…

I can tell because I see something approaching us fast down the street. It looks like an F-Zero racer… using a spin attack, and it's about to collide with the back of the limousine. "LOOK OUT!" I warn everyone, bracing myself against the seat I'm in. I don't know whether Princia or the driver have time to prepare for the impact, as we are rammed a split second after I grabbed onto the seat. We scream in terror as the limousine sent pointing downward from the impact, ultimately flipping upside down. For a moment, it feels like I'm in a Moonbounce, only more confined and with no real cushions to lessen the impacts. I don't suffer any injuries other than spraining my elbow, but I'm not sure if Princia is as fortunate. "Princia, are you alright!?"

"Unh… yes, I think so…" she weakly replies. She is slumped against the back door of the limo, clutching her forehead. Despite being injured or not, she gets to her feet, and she isn't happy. "What was that about!? Who attacked us!?" I join her to look out the window, but we don't see anything.

"This is bad… this is really, really bad…" I say, crawling back from the door. I curse inwardly at how cowardly I'm being, before the enemy is even in sight! But there's nothing I can do about it… I'm in poor physical condition because of my PSI discharges, and for good reason I'm not allowed to use my PSI to defend myself or anyone else right now.

Suddenly, there is the sound of shearing metal as the back door of the limousine is torn off by an outside force. "EEK!" Princia shrieks, clambering her way towards me. But before she can even get close to me, I see large bar of metal reach into the vehicle… or rather, an arm made of metal. Its hand grabs her by the ankle, and I can only watch in horror as she is brutally yanked out of the limousine and flung across the street.

"PRINCIA!" I gasp. My inhibitions are gone in that instant. I crawl out of the limo as fast as I can and turn to face the attacker, and my fear returns as quickly as it had vanished… the enemy is something human in design only, it otherwise doesn't look remotely like it. It has to be at least three times as tall as me – but I assume it's more than that – and looks like the very visage of an evil robot. It wears a black, red and yellow muscle-suit with four metal bars lined up horizontally on the outer side of each leg. The pant legs disappear into huge, metal boots with red bottoms. Its sleeves and gloves are purple, and huge metal "bracelets" – I don't know what else to call them – go from the wrist to the elbow on each arm. It has a long, red cape that is held up but red, black and purple shoulder-guards. It has a breathing mask that looks disturbingly like that of a Pigmask soldier, only with a grate in place of a pig nose. Its forehead is glass, making its blue, shriveled brain visible.

Before I can even utter a whimper in fright, I am backhanded across the chin by its right metal bracelet. I am sent spinning in the air before I land on the ground face-first. I'm so shaken that I can hardly get up, but I still try, seeing and feeling the blood dripping from my face…

_Blood…_

As much as I don't want them to now, my horrible memories start to resurface. "HELP! LUCAS!" My attention is grabbed by Princia's scream, and I turn to see the hulking robot approaching her and giving her the same treatment that he did me. But she is not so fortunate, taking the blow right on the forehead. I can only watch as she collapses to the ground, unconscious with a bleeding forehead. It then hefts her up and throws her into the open F-Zero machine nearby, coloured a dark purple with three wingtips. It hops into the cockpit itself, and it quickly turns it around and drives down the street.

I try to rush after it, but something collides with me before I can move any more than two steps. I see a blue-skinned female straddling me, pinning me to the ground. Her body is a mangled mess, bleeding and torn up all over, and yet she was still able to reach me and pin me here. "Ooh, getting a little too clingy with the mistress… can't allow that!" I recognize her voice; this is the limo driver. "Can't have you getting too happy…"

She lowers her face uncomfortably close to me, flashing me a blood-stained smile missing some teeth, before sitting back up straight and facing up. She laughs out loud. Crazed, heartless laughter. Her blood is flung onto my face. I don't understand… what does she mean? What about me getting too happy? "Ge… get off…" I tell her, but she just starts shaking and jittering on top of me and still laughs, spilling more blood onto me, some of it into my mouth…

Is this… what blood tastes like?

That one moment is all it takes for the memories, the rage and the bloodlust to take over again. My hand clasps the throat of the woman on top of me, wanting to crush her throat, to squeeze out more blood… but she doesn't seem to care that she's in this horrible pain. She still laughs, laughs loudly despite the blood rising in her throat and falling out of her mouth on top of me. I eventually manage to flip her mangled body onto the ground so that I'm on top of her, strangling the life out of her… I want her to feel pain… why isn't she in agony? Why is she still _laughing_!?

Then, as suddenly as she started laughing, she stops. She stops moving entirely, and I watch in morbid fascination as her skin colour changes from a shriveled blue to a pale white colour… I start to shake, looking at my blood-stained hands. Why… why did I do this? I've killed again… just like the aliens on top of the tower, leaving her in a bloody mess… I… I don't understand… one minute I'm happy, partying around town with Princia, my latest… my _only_ crush… and now, I'm leaning over this mutilated servant of hers as she is taken away, wondering why she said I was "getting too happy…"

And then, as I put those last two thoughts together, it all becomes clear… Princia was making me happy, but I was getting too happy, so she was taken away…

I let out cold, melancholic laughter as I am enlightened. It's all a setup! It's been set up ever since Porky came to my world! My mother's death, fighting through the hordes of enemies, being forced to kill my brother… and now this person who was so nice to me getting taken away, with this dead woman so blatantly telling me that I'm getting too happy… it's all some kind of setup! My whole life, these worlds… it's all some kind of sick torture device designed specifically to drive me insane! And just when I think things are going to turn around for the better, it gets taken away and I'm introduced to more trauma. That's what this is about… everyone really is out to get me! It all makes perfect sense now!

My attention is drawn as I hear sirens down the street… I see the flashing lights of police cars of this age. Yes… they must be here to arrest me for killing this woman, and they probably won't care that she attacked me… and then they'll think that I was part of the plan to kidnap the princess. I'm not going to let them, I'm onto them now! Laughing loudly, I charge up my PSI and point my hands at the oncoming vehicles. "PK FIRE!" I shout out like a war cry, and a torrent of white-hot flame floods the road. I watch on with sadistic glee as the cars try to turn around, but some of them are too late. Their cars overheat and explode, and I love it. I love making them pay for treating me like their personal torture toy!

I advance on them and watch the survivors as they get out of their vehicles, pointing some kind of weapons at me. They look kind of like the Super Scopes we use in Brawls… and they think these weapons are going to work against me!? I throw up my hands and shout, "PK SHIELD!" A shield expands out of my hands in the face of the incoming laser blasts. With each shot, I feel my power growing… they eventually stop shooting once they realize their attacks are worthless, and I use the power I've taken to amplify my next attack. "PK FREEZE!" I thrust my hand forwards as the air chills around me so much that I can see it, and it rushes towards them in a wave. In an instant, the men and a good amount of the cars – even the flaming ones – are encased in ice that is spread out along the street. And I laugh at them. I laugh at them for being so weak, I laugh at them for being so stupid, I laugh at them for spurring my wrath for torturing me for my whole life! It makes me want to… makes me want to… "DESTROY EVERY DAMN THING IN THIS WORLD!"

As I shout, my mind sparks. Words enter my mind… and I feel my power grow. I laugh even louder as I remember that I was supposed to realize a new form of PSI… and I have realized it. Now I have the power to tear this world apart! "PK…" I plant my hands to the ground. "…_GROUND_!!!" I feel the strength drain from my arms like water pouring out of a faucet, followed by a gradually-increasing rumbling in the ground. The pavement begins to crumble around me, eventually with spikes of earth exploding out of the ground. The shaking quickly increases, and I can hear the screaming of people around me… let them scream! Let them know that I'm not playing their games of cruel torture anymore! I can see the buildings around me moving off of their foundation, some people even falling out of the windows from the sudden shift in gravity.

The next moments are a euphoric blur to me. I want nothing more than to destroy everything insight, to show the world that I will not be played with and tormented, and that is exactly what I do. I throw fire, lightning and ice in every direction that I see something moving. The entire district around me is a combination of flaming, frozen and electrocuted buildings and bodies. Debris and blood litter the block. More police come to try and stop me, along with some stupid people. They die, they all die, like they've deserved to for so long. The street is almost running with blood, so much that I can hear it splash around me as I walk. It's a sign of my victory, my proof that I will not be tormented anymore, and I bathe in the spoils of war… I bathe in their blood, my voice descending into a cackling laughter as I catch my breath. I hadn't stopped laughing since my rampage began, and I have no intention of stopping…

"LUCAS, STOP!" I recognize the voice and slowly rise to my feet, turning to it… I see him, Ness. He stands in the middle of the street, looking at me with tear-stained eyes. His skin is pale and his body is shaking. He's paralyzed with fear. "P-please… stop… please…"

For a moment, my smile fades. To see someone crying, suffering… someone I actually know… I start to feel pangs of remorse for what I've done… but my smile and laughter immediately returns when I remind myself that this is likely another trap by those that love to see me suffer. Calm me down, make me feel sad, and then throw me into more turmoil. I'm not going to fall for it! "Why… why stop? This whole world is just waiting for me to stop… _you're_ waiting for me to stop, just so you can make me suffer more… I'M NOT FALLING FOR IT!" My laughter is at shouting volume, and I see him back off in fear. "Die…" I start to charge up my PSI. "_Die_…" I haven't even used my most powerful PSI yet… I've been saving it… I don't know why, but I've been saving it… but now I do! To get rid of this demon posing as a friend! I point my palms at him… "_DIE_!!! PK…"

Then out of nowhere, something steps right in front of me. Something blue and red… the last thing I see is a fire flying at me face before I see nothing but black…


	7. Chapter 6: Kidnapped

_Chapter 6: Kidnapped_

If this were any other situation, I'd be glad that my sleep this time was dreamless. However, I'm _not_ glad due to what woke me up: a horrible, _throbbing_ headache that felt like someone was slamming a sledgehammer into my skull with every pulse the blood in my veins made. It's so painful that I can hardly even open my eyes… what the hell happened to me? I try to get to my feet, but I find that my legs are too weak to support my own weight, and I collapse back down onto a soft surface… past experience tells me that it's a bed.

My muscles suddenly seize up and a spike of pain shakes my body. A PSI discharge!? But it was fine before! Before I…

Now it all comes back to me. I'd spent the day and the night with Princia so I could loosen up… but she was taken by some weird robot thing… I tried to pursue, but her servant lost her mind and pinned me down… and then…

Oh my God… what have I done…? I turn over on the surface and start to cry, grasping my agonizingly-painful forehead… I killed… all of those… how many died at my hand? Wait, no… I don't even want to know…

"Hey, hey guys! He's coming around!" I groan loudly at the volume of the voice – which I clearly recognize as Ness' – since it definitely doesn't help my headache. I hear him chuckle nervously. "Eh-heh… oops, forgot that you might have a headache…"

I groan again, this time at his ignorance. "What… happened…?" I ask weakly.

"Captain Falcon happened …" Ness answered, his voice taking on a significantly more depressed tone. "You… you snapped big time, man. You went on a rampage… the only way to get you to stop was to knock you out and, well… Falcon wasn't happy about his town getting wrecked… he kinda lost his cool on you. With a Falcon Punch."

Well, that explained a hell of a lot. Captain Falcon's signature move was something I was fortunate enough to not yet get hit by in a Brawl… no wonder my head hurts. "I… deserved it…" I tell him, my tears starting to come out again. "I… I didn't go nuts in self-defense… this time… I lost all control…"

I hear footsteps… only one set of them. Thinking back, Captain Falcon was the only one who went by foot; Mewtwo hovered, Master Hand floated and Ness was already here. If anyone else was in here now aside from Falcon and Ness, it was the former two. "Yeah, I… kinda figured that… but man! What set you off that badly?" Ness asks me.

I go into full-blown sobbing as I'm forced to remember the reason… "Princia… she was… taken…" I am tortured by another PSI discharge… am I being punished because I couldn't protect her?

"By who?" Falcon asks me this time… it's evident by the tone in his voice that he isn't happy with me… and frankly I can't blame him.

I search my rattled brain for the image of that monster… most details are blurry and out of place, but there was one thing that stood out… "Uhh… he had… a glass head… I could see his brain…" I tell them. "He looked kind of… like a robot…"

Silence, until Captain Falcon hisses one name with such venom that I'm sure he surprised even himself. "Deathborn."

"Who?" Ness asks him.

"An evil man that just doesn't want to stay in his grave." Falcon explains. "He's died four times already… maybe five after I raced him and destroyed his machine, but each time he was brought back with state-of-the-art robotics. He has the power to teleport things – including himself – wherever he wants… he loves throwing people into space and leaving them to die." I feel a chill do down my spine; throw people into space…? And this monster has Princia!? "But… what would he want with the princess of Magica? Kidnapping isn't his style…"

"Maybe he did it to set Lucas off?" Ness theorized. "I don't know…"

Now that was a scary thought… this evil creature, this… Deathborn thing, kidnapped Princia for the sole purpose of turning me loose on society? It sounds crazy… but right now I don't think _I_ should be determining what's crazy and what isn't. "Deathborn is, unfortunately, an unpredictable villain that I don't know anything else about. It wouldn't surprise me if he tried that." Falcon replied. "But that isn't important right now… don't worry Lucas, we'll make sure that Princia is safe."

"I… I want to help…" I say weakly, but my body is wracked by another discharge.

_"Out of the question."_ Mewtwo tries to keep his telepathic voice quiet so he won't hurt my head, but he fails. Would it kill him just to speak normally? _"After your… actions last night, the police department has listed you as a wanted man."_ Wanted? As if things couldn't get any worse… _"We're actually hiding you in Princia's home, having convinced the police department that you escaped from Falcon. And even if you were in good standing with the police, you are much too weak to fight right now. Your PSI is erratic and your body is in terrible condition due to the discharges."_

"But… but…" I want to retort, but Mewtwo is absolutely right. I start to cry again... there's really nothing else I _can_ do right now other than wallow in my own misery while I try to recover.

"We'll find her Lucas, I promise." Ness tells me. I feel his hand on my shoulder. "But for now, the best thing you can do for us is get better and lay low. Leave this to us."

"…Okay… I'm trusting you…" I say in defeat.

"Good boy." he tells me. "We'll be back in a jiffy. With the princess. Don't sweat it. How tough can this Deathborn guy be?"

I hear the exiting of footsteps, following by a door clicking shut. Now that my headache has had a chance to ease a little, I finally turn upwards and open my eyes. I'm back in Princia's bedroom, like Mewtwo said… and I wasn't going to be leaving for a while. Worse yet, there was nothing to help me fall asleep… I was going to be stuck like this, with these PSI discharges burning away at me while I have to leave Princia's fate in someone else's hands. Maybe I deserve it… maybe I deserve _worse_… what else did killers deserve but pain in return for the pain that they themselves had caused? This is what I've always told myself when I was on a mission for Super Smash Brothers… or even when I was fighting against the Pigmask Army.

Now I've become what I've been fighting against my whole life: a killer. A cold-blooded killer that enjoys making other people bleed to death. And I hate it… I hate what I've become.

"Your friends are mistaken." It's as if the entire room loses its heat, and an unsettling weight sets itself in my stomach… I recognize that voice. That man that filled me with fear with his presence alone. I turn my head to the left, and he is standing there. The man I met on the tower before my second psychotic episode. "In more ways than one."

"Wh… what do you… mean…?" I ask him. He places his hand on my forehead… it's as cold as ice… no, colder. But suddenly, I feel my whole body warm up… I feel… rejuvenated. My headache is gone, and so is my fatigue and pain. I sit up on the bed, shaking my head. What the hell was that? "What did you just do?" I ask him.

He blinks at me. "PK Healing. Don't tell me you can't recognize your own PSI technique?" At this information, I am completely shocked. This man… he can use PSI? Why haven't I been able to sense it from him? Who _is_ he? "Your psychic friend believes that Deathborn is weak, when he really isn't. Even without his ability to teleport, he's more than formidable. And while it was Deathborn who took the princess, he doesn't have her now."

"What!? Then who does!? Tell me!" I plead, quickly throwing off the bed covers and getting to my feet.

He is still eerily calm… "The head of this world's universal traders, Don Genie." he tells me. "He's a corrupt official that likes dealing in illegal arms… and he's taken an interest in your power, Lucas." I'm unnerved now… he has my full attention. "He hired Deathborn to take Princia so you'd lose control of yourself again. He wanted to see your full power unleashed." He walks towards the window, looking out to the serene plains below. "You're friends don't know that they're facing more than one dangerous enemy, and it'll be their undoing."

No… they're going to get hurt because of me. They're trying to find Princia because I failed to protect her, and now something worse is going to happen to them… "That won't happen! I won't let it!" I say with determination.

He turns to me, his icy gaze staring into my soul. "You know that you're wanted by the police, who know enough not to underestimate you by now, and you'd still go through that to save them?"

"Yes!" I answer. "They're the only friends I have… the only ones helping me through my life… if I lost them, I… I don't know what I'd do…" I trail off for a moment. "They're going out of their way to help me. I have to pay them back."

"Hmm… you're motives aren't entirely selfish, nor are they driven by malice." he tells me, his head tilting to the left. "And your mind seems sound… how did it recover so quickly after you lost total control of it, I wonder?"

I start to feel even more uneasy than before… it's just like last time, he's inspecting me again. Just what is this man's fascination with me? I decide I've had enough of it and say, "Does it matter? The fact is that I _have_ gotten better, so I have to do something about Don Genie! No where is he!?" I really do want to find Princia and my friends before it's too late, but I also just want to get away from him…

I feel a sudden, swift surge of malice from him that vanishes as quickly as it appears. Was he mad about being interrupted? "Sheesh, why are you in such a hurry?" Now he's succeeded in getting me red in the face; doesn't he realize that I _have_ to rush before something bad happens? Somehow I think he does… but I don't think he cares. "Fine then, stand still."

Before I can question the command, his hand is on my shoulder, clothed in a snow-white shirt sleeve. His icy blue eyes suddenly turn in a bright red that appears to be shining, but at the same time doesn't look like it's shining at all… I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it's like looking into a red void. The energy I feel from him… it's so sickly and vile that I feel like I'm about to throw up just from feeling it. I'm suddenly afraid for my life, but before I can get my shoulder free from his grip, I am blinded by a flash of red light.

I expect pain to tear through my body, but feel none. I open my eyes… and I find that I'm outside, in the city around all of these bustling people. I'm standing in front of what has to be the absolute tallest building I've ever seen… I almost fall over when I try to look up to see how tall it really is. It has to be at least three times the height of the tower where I met the man. "Welcome to the Universal Traders main headquarters." I turn around to see that the man is behind me, also looking up the tower, but not with as much effort. "You will find Don Genie on the highest floor of the building, keeping your princess under his watchful eye. But be warned that only his most-trusted staff knows of the princess' presence, and his guards don't discriminate between shooting children and adults."

I look back up at the tower, and I gulp. God only knows how many floors are in the tower, and each one increases the chance that I could be caught sneaking around in there. Wait a minute, though… didn't the man just teleport me here? Wondering what was stopping him from sending me right up to the top floor, I turn around to ask him… but once again find myself staring at empty space. I look around frantically with no success; just like last time, he's vanished without a trace. And I was actually starting to think he was willing to help me… there is definitely something fishy going on. But fishy or not, Princia could be being held in this building, and my fellow Smashers could be in danger if I don't reach her before they do. Gathering up my courage, I enter the sliding front doors of the massive building.

--------------------

Personally I think that the inside of the building is unimpressive, but that might just be because I've been in Princia's home for too long. That and the massive amounts of people in here are blocking my view. All I can really make out from the entrance are some navy blue-coloured walls and a black-and-white checkered floor. I move along the sides of the walls so that I don't get lost in the crowd, eventually finding a spot on the wall with an elevated floor made like a railing, the space blocked off by it filled with soil and exotic plants. I climb on top of this to get a better view; the crowds are actually very, _very_ long lines of people stretching out from wooden – at least they look wood from here – office desks, separated only by velvet rope barriers. Since this is the universal traders HQ, I'm guessing they're setting up transactions and stuff like that.

But I'm not here to trade stuff. I look around for anything that looks like a path to higher floors, and smile when I see an elevator at the far right. But that smile quickly fades when I see two robots near it. They are human-shaped, covered in silver-plating and have yellow eyes. Each is holding black tongs of some sort… I'm guessing that they're tasers. This must be what the man meant; unlike human guards, robots don't think twice before shooting intruders. Regardless, I'll have to go through them if I'm going to get anywhere. I move along the walls again. The people and aliens here don't pay it any mind, too focused on their own reasons for being here. I keep moving until I'm right beside the robot on the left side of the elevator door. It looks like a rather frail design, probably not for anything more than crowd control. I need to take them out without drawing attention… and I know exactly how. I clap my hands together and mutter "PK Thunder." I only call up a small crackle of electricity, then point both my hands at either of the robots. The sparks jump from my fingers to the robots, and they start to spasm. While they're disoriented, I press the "down" button on the elevator. Fortunately the elevator was already on this floor; the door immediately opens, and I slip behind the shaking robots and into the doors, pressing myself against the wall. I'm standing beside the main control panel, and I press the "close door" and the button for the highest-numbered floor, which is hopefully the top one.

Within a couple of seconds, the elevator starts its ascent, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Hopefully I wasn't noticed by anyone who would care. Look around the elevator, I can't help but notice how… plain it is with only beige walls. Those glass elevators on the observatory tower were so much more entertaining… but this is probably better, otherwise people would be wondering why a kid is riding a corporate elevator the top floor of the city's biggest office building. The only interesting thing in this elevator is the steadily-increasing counter above the elevator door, which currently lights up floor 25 out of 80. I'm suddenly reminded of the elevator in the Empire Porky Building… hopefully this one will be more reliable.

Nothing seems to go wrong for most of the elevator ride, now it displays 75 out of 80. But being a Smasher has taught me to prepare for anything; there could be more robot guards at the elevator door I'm about to come out of, so I start to charge another PK Thunder. When the counter hits 80, I hear heavy, clunky footsteps on the other side of the door. When it opens, I am greeted with two more robots staring right at me, this time holding heavy, powerful-looking firearms not yet at the ready. I don't give them the chance to prepare. "PK Thunder!" This thunder is more potent than the last one since I know I have to take theses ones out before they fire or raise any alarms. They start spasming and sparking violently before they ultimately collapse to the plush, red carpeting. My view now clear, I can see a long hallway that has several doors lined up along it. It splits into an intersection in the middle, and at the end opposite me there is another elevator.

"Now, was that really necessary? Those security bots aren't cheap, you know…" What!? Who said that!? I look around frantically for anyone nearby, but see no one… "You seem surprised. Didn't you suspect there more than a few robots for security in such an important place? There are hidden security cameras on every floor, as well as the elevators."

My face drains of colour. Of course there would be security cameras in the Universal Traders HQ, how could I have been so stupid!? But after thinking about it for a bit, my mouth curves up into a smirk. "So you've found me, what good will it do? I can short circuit any robot you send at me." I say to the voice coming from what I presume to be speakers hidden in the walls somewhere. If it were in my mind, I'd know.

"Oh no, you're mistaken. I have no intention of harming you." I've calmed down enough to take notice of the voice… it's not one I've heard before. It's deep and raspy, definitely male. "I only want to talk with you. My office is down the hall and to the next right you take, straight from then on."

At this information, I grow very suspicious. This could very likely be some kind of trap… but by the same token, if it is who I think is talking to me, then he knows just how powerful I am and wouldn't try to trick me. Besides, I don't know where else I can go from here… I'll take my chances. I slowly make my way down the hall as per the voice's instructions, my guard not dropping for a second and my PSI at the ready. I find myself at a large door with letters above it reading, "DON GENIE." It seems that I was right… I open the door normally and step through.

This octagonal office room seems needlessly large, having naught but a big potted plant in each of its eight corners and a large window at the end for decoration. In front of this window is a large oak desk made so that I can't see the electronics on the other side, but I can see the man sitting at it… in fact, the man behind it would be almost impossible to miss unless I was blind. He was _huge_, staring out the window with his back to me. He wore a black and white vertically-striped shirt similar to the convict stereotype clothing, except the black lines were much thinner giving it a valuable look. Two green jewels were on his shoulders, each with a small red cape sticking out of it… perhaps he was too big for a single cape to fit him. He was mostly bald except for three triangles of white hair, two at the side of his head in the shape of wingtips and the last on top of his head like a toned-down mohawk. "It must be exhilarating, having the power to destroy and renew life with the wave of your hand." he says, the voice the same as I heard in the hallways.

A low growl escapes my throat. "Don Genie, I presume?"

He turns around and steps around from behind the desk, giving me a better view of his wealth and… girth. "Where I come from, people respect their elders with words such as 'Mister' or 'Miss.'" Now I can see his front. His black and white shirt is held together – barely – by a large, green jewel. A red shirt is visible under it. He wears shiny black boots and has two jewels on either pant leg and shirt sleeve; the left arm has two red jewels and the left leg has two purple ones, and these colours are swapped on the other side. His shoulder-jewels are held together by golden bands which meet at a smaller, blue jewel that is attached to a purple ribbon at his neck. His left hand holds a solid-gold cane. His face is a little on the chubby side, offset by a monacle on his right eye that has a scar.

This man is an imposing figure indeed, but I am not afraid. I have a job to do. "Kidnapping one of my best friends and trying to make me level Mute City isn't a good way to get respect. Where is she!?" I demand.

"My my, such hostility…" Don Genie casually says, still walking towards me. "And from what I've read about you as a Smasher, you were supposed to be the most timid. It's surprising how much a little madness can change someone…"

I growl again, louder this time. "I said, where is she!?" I repeat. I didn't come here to mince words, and I point this out to the mogul by charging up PSI on my hand and pointing at him.

He stops his approach, but he doesn't seem fazed or afraid in the slightest. He grunts and says, "You arrived a little too late, boy. I only needed her here long enough for you to arrive… she was put back into Deathborn's care the moment you set foot into my building."

He lets out a light laugh. "What…!?"

"I didn't need her once you were here. Now I have you all to myself…" Don Genie says, his tone getting a slightly sinister edge to it. "And your power. This 'PSI' you wield is much more advanced than any kind of weaponry that I've even seen… and I've seen a lot."

"You kidnapped one of my friends and put the lives of hundreds in danger… for _this_? For my _power_!?"

Don Genie grunts. "I wouldn't expect someone such as you to understand. Not everyone can wield a heavy firearm, not just because they aren't licensed to, but because they don't have the skill or strength. But this PSI… it can be used by anyone with a functioning mind. If I were to reverse-engineer this power and sell it, I would make a fortune!" He starts to laugh louder.

I've heard enough. "You have no idea what it takes to wield PSI! You would risk the lives of that many just for _money_!?" I shout.

His laughter fades, and he smiles broadly at me. "In being the head of the universe's biggest corporation next to F-Zero, destroying lives has to be a common practice if you want to get ahead of the competition. But again, you're young, you wouldn't understand… though I can help you understand. If you were to help me reverse-engineer your PSI… you would become a very rich boy. Your problems of insanity and your being wanted by the police would disappear in an instant."

My right eye is twitching. He says I wouldn't understand… and quite frankly I don't ever want to. "I will never be a part of something like that, you fat tub of lard!" I roar. The PSI on my hand begins to expand, and I lunge at him. Upon covering half of the distance, however, I find my path blocked by metal rods having appeared out of nowhere. A "clang" above me prompts me to look up, and I see that there is a metal plate above me having fallen perfectly in place with the bars. I'm trapped!

I notice that Don Genie's expression has changed to a grim, annoyed one. "That's a shame, to say the least. Now that you know of my plan, I can't let you leave… and you don't seem to grasp that I don't need you alive to discover the secret of your power. If you won't help me willingly, then I'll have to take your brain apart and see what makes it tick."

I shudder at the sudden harshness in his words. If he really doesn't need me alive, then he could very well kill me right now since I'm trapped in this cage with nowhere to move. I notice the air around me starting to heat up, but I'm not the cause… I see that the cages of the bar are heating up from electricity. Suddenly that electricity is discharged, and pain tears through my body like a freight train. I can't hold back my screams of agony as my body seizes up… damnit, what am I going to do!? The pain is making it difficult to think straight… but I still try to focus. This is still electricity, meaning that it can be sucked up into my PSI Magnet. If I could just get one going…!

I clench my teeth, trying to bite back my screams as I fight off the pain. I see Don Genie looking at me in amusement with a sick smile on his face. My screams are reduced to growls… this man is trying to kill me, and for what? Just to make some money in the end? I won't let him destroy so many lives with my power just so he can become richer!

It's then that I find the strength. "PK MAGNET!" I roar, and a blue ball of static electricity expands out of my hand. Now instead of the electricity hitting me, it is pulled to the ball. Don Genie's expression has change from gleeful to surprised. I hurl the PK Magnet up and slam it into the ground to try and blow this cage away. An explosion does happen, but I suddenly find that I'm not standing on anything. I don't have time to yelp before I land hard on something. Damn, my whole body hurts… when I can see clearly again, I notice that I'm not in Don Genie's office anymore, but in a staff workroom full of cubicles. I look up and see a hole in the ceiling… I must've blown myself through the floor. Don Genie is looking at me from the hole, and he quickly vanishes from view. He can't be a happy camper. I decide that I've overstayed my welcome and dash for the nearest window and shoulder-tackle it, shattering it and starting a long, long fall to the ground below…

To the people watching me, it would appear that I've just committed suicide. But having fallen from high distances before, I know how to use my PSI to land safely. But first, I need to heal my wounds… I definitely have time, given the height of this drop. "PK Healing." I say as I fall through the sky, my PSI repairing the damage I took. As my descent nears its end, I flip my body upright and use my PSI to slow down, landing safely on the pavement below. I look around to see many shocked and surprise faces staring at me from the sidewalks around me. After blowing my way out of the city's most important building, I know I don't have long to get out of here. Ignoring the sets of gawking eyes around me, I dash into the nearest alleyway.

I know it would make more sense to wait until the heat is off, but I don't have any time to waste… Don Genie said that Deathborn took Princia from the building as soon as I'd arrived, and that meant they couldn't be far away. But how would I pursue them? He was probably using his F-Zero machine… catching him would be impossible unless I had one of my own, or if Sonic were here… realizing the unlikelihood of either possibility, I collapse to my knees in defeat. There was no way I could possibly catch them while he was driving… I punch the ground in frustration. I was so close! I whine and start to sob, burying my head into my arms while tears flow down my face.

A hand clasps my shoulder. I instinctively swat it off and jump back, charging PSI into my hand and pointing it at the uninvited guest… but I immediately disperse it when I see that it's none other than Ness. I let out a shaky, angry groan and ask, "What are you doing here?"

"That's what I should be asking you!" he retorts, but then he smiles. "But I guess I shouldn't have expected you to stay put… but I don't know how you're even _moving _right now. How did you recover so fast?"

I calm down a little. "It's a… long story…"

Ness looks behind him, down the alleyway. "We can talk about it later. Let's get back to the princess' place before the others know you're gone." I nod in agreement. The last thing I need right now is to face Master Hand's, Mewtwo's or Captain Falcon's wrath…


	8. Chapter 7: Rescue Plan

_Chapter 7: Rescue Plan_

I'm starting to see how fortunate it was that Ness found me before anyone else, not just because others would reprimand or arrest me, but because he knew a PSI ability called "PK Teleport." It was something I definitely didn't know existed. Neither of us knew the general direction that Princia's home was in – me because I was teleported out and Ness because he simply wasn't paying attention – so this power really saved me. I made a personal note to get Ness to teach me this ability when… _if_ my insomnia goes away.

Once we're safely back in the bedroom I've constantly woken up in, I can't help but thank him and apologize profusely, but he thinks nothing of it. How lucky am I to have a friend like him? Once my sob-fest is over however, it's down to business. We sit on the comfortable bed and discuss things. "So how did you end up all the way in that tower, man? There's no way you could've got there so fast without PK Teleport, and you were _way_ too out of shape to be moving." he asks me.

I explain everything to him: the mysterious man healing me, him teleporting me to the universal traders building, to my confrontation with Don Genie… I can't speak his name without venom. Knowing that he wants my power for something as trivial as money – and would readily go at any lengths to get it – makes my blood boil.

"That… that's just sick." Ness seethes; he isn't any happier about it than I am. "And this guy has the princess?"

"No… not anymore. Deathborn left with her as soon as I set foot in there… or at least that's what Don Genie told me." I tell him sadly.

Ness growled. "Darn… but how did you know she was even there before?" he asks.

"The PSI-man told me…" I reply.

"What? And you just believed him!?" Ness scolded. "It could've been a trap!"

"I know! I know!" I wail. "But I couldn't just sit here and do nothing! You guys were in danger, and Princia…" I stop… I don't even know what kind of danger Princia is in. All I know is that she's in trouble… and that there's nothing I can do about it. I start to sob.

I feel Ness' touching my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. "Okay, you were worried, I understand. That's normal. But you need to be a little more careful about who you trust. You don't know this PSI-guy, _and_ you're wanted. Try not to be so reckless next time, okay?"

I look up at him, wiping the tears off of my face. "Okay…" I rasp, nodding.

"Now… what do you know about the PSI-guy?" Ness asks me suddenly. "It's not every day you see a real psychic that isn't you, me or Mewtwo."

This was the truth… this PSI user dressed in black literally just popped out of thin air and into my life, and he has some kind of interest in me. Why, though? I try to calm myself down so I can explain it to him. "Well, uh… I met him on the observation tower before I was attacked… purple hair, icy-blue eyes, has a black cape that covers most of his body… and a long, black hat that looks like Link's."

At that last part, Ness raised an eyebrow. "Link's hat? He has no fashion sense."

I have to snigger at that; I've never really liked Link's hat, either… though it's not like Ness can judge him; he's worn the same clothes every time I've seen him. I get back to the subject. "He's creepy, though… the PSI-guy, I mean… whenever I'm around him, I get this cold, malicious feeling… and when I met him on the tower, he looked me in the eye… I only remember seeing…" I pause. Those horrible visions of blood, mangled bodies and fire… I don't know how else to describe it. "I saw visions of… horrible things… next thing I know he's gone, and I'm swamped by aliens with blue skin and red eyes."

"Wait, hold the phone." Ness interrupts. "Blue skin and red eyes?"

"Yeah…" I answer… why had he taken an interest in _that_? "Hey, now that I think about it, Princia's psychotic servant went blue before… she died, and then her skin turned back to normal… and Deathborn's brain was shriveled and blue, too…"

Ness puts his hand to his chin in thought. "Blue psychos attacking, and some random PSI-user that gives off a murderous vibe…"

As Ness' eyes widen with what I presume to be realization, I am suddenly unnerved at what I feel from him… fear. It's not the first time I've felt fear from him, but it was always mixed with an odd excitement. But this time… there was none of that. I could only feel sheer terror from him. "Ness…? I can feel that vibe loud and clear… what's wrong?"

"…Blue psychos and a murderous vibe from a PSI user… there's only one time I've ever seen the two mixed together…" he tells me, his voice quiet. He looks to me. I can see the anxiety in his eyes. "It can't be, though… there's no way."

"What? What can't be?" I press on; I've never seen Ness like this before, and I really don't like it.

He suddenly jumps up, like I've snapped him out of a trance. He shakes his head and says, "Nevermind, I'm probably just paranoid… it's not the problem right now, anyway."

I glare at him for trying to change the subject like that, but he's right… we can't be taking a stroll down memory lane now, we need a plan to find Princia. "Okay, you can tell me later…" I concede. "So how do we find Princia? And Deathborn?"

He smiles broadly. "I found that out when we were all on Ol' Falcon's spaceship." he tells me. "He kicked me out of the room because he didn't want me to listen, but I eavesdropped… supposedly Deathborn's hideout is in the underworld."

My face reflects unamusement. "Do I look like I'm in the mood for jokes?"

"No, I'm not joking! It's where Ol' Falcon raced him and totaled his machine, some kind of underworld race track."

My eyes widen; Ness is _serious_? I shudder at the thought. "Whoa… this world… has a real path to Hell?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Ness replied. "But it's really dangerous, Ol' Falcon made it pretty clear he didn't want me going."

I look at him with concern. "For good reason! I don't think being alive in Hell would be very fun!"

Ness just shrugs. "So? I'm no stranger to danger. I'm going down there first chance I get."

Well, he's definitely determined if not idiotic… probably both. But regardless of Ness' current state of mind, if the Underworld was the most likely place for Princia to be being held at, then it was a risk we'd have to take. "Alright, fine… but I'm coming with you."

Ness looks at me incredulously. "Lucas… are you sure about that? You know your psychotic episodes are triggered by blood and stuff, and we're going to _Hell_…"

"So!?" I retort. "I'll risk it if it means saving Princia… it's the least I can do after all she's done for me."

He smirks. "Yeah, you're totally crushing on her." I growl and mock punch him in the shoulder. "Alright, alright, you can come. I guess it would be dangerous to go by myself…"

I smile. "Darn right… but how are we going to get there?"

He holds his finger up and opens his mouth to speak, but stops. "Uhh… I've never been there before, so I can't teleport…" He rubs the back of his head and sweatdrops. "I have no idea!"

I groan and plant my head into the blankets. "Thanks for getting my hopes up!" I moan, my voice muffled by the fabric. I hear him laugh nervously.

Well, now we're at a stalemate. Knowing the name of where we have to go isn't enough, we need to know _where it is_, and Captain Falcon made it clear that he wasn't going to give Ness or myself that information. The next moments are nothing but silence, both of us trying to think of a good plan but not succeeding. Our docked trains of thought are interrupted by a familiar-sounding jet engine… it's the engine of the Falcon Flyer, one of the dimension-travelling spaceships that the manor uses and owned by Captain Falcon himself. I've been on it enough times to know what its engine sounds like, and sure enough, we see the massive aircraft making a slow landing right in front of the large window. It looks like the others have returned. "Oh… crap!" Ness is suddenly frantic. "Dude, get back in the bed! You're supposed to be sick!"

It takes me a minute to realize what he's getting at, and my face pales. No doubt Falcon and Mewtwo are no doubt expecting me to still be in bed, suffering PSI discharges and having a huge headache. It wouldn't be good if they found out I'd recovered, or else they'd know something was amiss. "Sh-sh-shoot!" I scramble back under the covers of the bed, trying to get in as believable a position as possible. A shift in weight on the mattress informs me that Ness has gotten off the bed, sitting on a chair beside it. A couple of minutes later, we hear footsteps from outside of the bedroom. The door opens. Trying to pass myself off as sick, I look up with mock grogginess and half-closed eyelids to see that Captain Falcon and Mewtwo have entered the room. The former lets out a sigh of relief. "There you are! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you!?" he scolded Ness.

I groan and set my head back on the pillows. "Would it kill you to knock…?"

"O-oh, sorry…"

"Sorry Captain, but I thought I'd better teleport here to make sure Lucas wasn't involved in that break-in…" Ness informs the captain… I assume he means my infiltration of the Universal Traders HQ.

"_Well next time, tell us before you act!"_ Mewtwo roars through our minds.

I let out a pained groan, like I would when Mewtwo's voice rattles my brain when I have a bad headache. Although with that volume, _trying_ to sound hurt wasn't hard. "Could you telepath any louder…!?" I growl at him. "What's going on? Where is Princia?"

"_To be honest, we hadn't begun to search for her."_ Mewtwo tells me. _"There was a break in at the Universal Traders headquarters, and we decided to investigate since we were coincidentally flying right by it. And then Ness had disappeared without a trace... after being told that the perpetrator escaped, we thought we had better check on you. We weren't expecting Ness to be here, though."_

"Well, _someone_ has to look after him." Ness said. "You don't just leave a psychotic psychic alone…" Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Ness… "I don't know why I didn't stay with him before."

"_Hmm... I see your point... very well then. Falcon, Master Hand and I will get on with the search while you tend to Lucas."_ Mewtwo ordered.

"Fine…" Ness replied.

Mewtwo left the room without another word. "Sorry about the rude awakening, kid. Get some rest now." Falcon said before following the Pokéclone out of the room and closing the door.

When their footsteps are no longer heard, both Ness and I breathe sighs of relief; it looked like they bought it. "Okay, they're off our back… now what?" Ness wonders.

I sit up in the bed, putting my hand to my chin. "You said that they were going to the Underworld to find Princia. Maybe we can follow them?" I suggest.

"How? You know how fast that thing flies, and we can't hitch a ride without Mewtwo knowing…" Ness replies.

That was indeed a problem. The Falcon Flyer was a fast spaceship indeed, its speed rivaled only by Sonic the Hedgehog and F-Zero machines… I am then struck by inspiration. "Wait, that's it! Princia's Spark Moon!" I exclaim.

"Her what?" Ness asks.

"The Spark Moon, it's her F-Zero machine. We can follow them from that ground in that!" I throw the covers off of myself and walk up to the door.

"Ooh… I've always wanted to ride one of those things!" Ness says with glee.

I throw the blankets off of me and bounce off of the bed. "Well, now's as good a time as any."

I press my ear to the door. I'm listening for the sounds of footsteps to make sure that no one is out there to catch us. I don't hear anything, so that usually means no one is out there. I slowly turn the doorknob and open it… and see that the usual isn't present this time. Someone tall is at the door, and I look up to see that it's Princia's servant, Ruffas. His arms are crossed, and he is glaring daggers at me. I feel like I want to shrink away right now… one of my victims was one of his colleagues, and he can't be happy about that. "And you just think you can take the Mistress' prized machine?" he growls. I take a step back in fear. "Even if you managed to sneak by all of the servants and bypass the automated security, her machine is keyed to her DNA. You wouldn't even be able to start it, and you definitely wouldn't be able to drive it without crashing."

I back right into Ness, who is cowering behind me. Understandable… I've never seen Ruffas angry before, and he is definitely terrifying when he's angry. "Heh… eh-heh… really…?" I say awkwardly, a nervous smile on my face. I'm in trouble… I'm supposed to be in bed, sick, and this man has seen me when the façade wasn't up. If he tells the others…

He stops in front of me, kneeling down to look me in the eye. "Yes. However…" He suddenly smiles. "Since _I'm_ a servant and helped to build the machine, I can fix those problems easily." The anger is gone from his voice.

My eyes widen… is he saying what I think he is? "You…"

He nods. "The Smashers helping look for her is all well and good, but I'd rather be there for my Mistress too… though I dare not go down to the underworld on my own. So… are you kids interested?"

My mouth cracks into a smile, a genuine one this time. "Of course!" I reply.

Ruffas stands up straight again and marches to the door. "Then let's hurry, we need to be quick to keep up with Captain Falcon's ship!" Ness and I offer no argument and rush out the door after him.

Don't worry, Princia… I'm coming.


	9. Chapter 8: Death Race

_Chapter 8: Death Race_

Thinking back at the last time three people had to crowd into the Spark Moon, I'm sure that Ruffas is much more comfortable in the driver's seat rather than having to be pressed against the windshield of the machine. Ness and I were easily able to fit, each occupying a corner behind the cockpit chair. Sometimes we would stand up so we could see where Ruffas was driving, and taking a peek right now I can see that we've driven across most of Mute City. The Falcon Flyer stood out like a sore thumb among the buildings and other aircraft in the skies; we made to at least make sure it's silhouette was visible, rather than get too close and risk detection from either its sensors or Mewtwo's psychic powers… or at least we hope we're far enough away not to be caught.

"Hey, looks like they're stopping…" Ness suddenly says, and both Ruffas and I look at the Falcon Flyer. The aircraft's shape is rapidly getting bigger, meaning that it's stopped flying forwards. It's now hovering over a collection of buildings, descending little by little.

This district has none of the luster or maintenance of the rest of the city; it's as if an inferno raged through it and was left to burn out, scorch marks, soot and dilapidated buildings present everywhere I could look. A beam of white light suddenly shoots out of the bottom of the Falcon Flyer, and I can see two things float down it. I can't see exactly what they are from here, but I have a hunch that they're Master Hand and the Blue Falcon – Captain Falcon's F-Zero machine – judging from size. I know what's going on. "They're going by ground. If we don't hurry, we'll lose them." I tell Ruffas.

"Alright, brace yourselves." he warns us. Ness and I crouch into the corners and press ourselves against the metal cockpit walls, having seen enough F-Zero races to know what's about to happen. A sudden, quick lurch of G force rocks me as the engines of the Spark Moon go full blast. I can see the speedometer climbing up above 1,500 miles per hour… I really hope that Ruffas knows what he's doing; he may have helped build the machine, but I can't help but wonder just how much experience he has _driving_ it.

Regardless of his driving experience though, he gets us to where they touched down, just in time to see them driving off in the opposite direction. Now we can see them; it was indeed Master Hand and Captain Falcon's machine. There was no sign of Mewtwo… he had to be either on the Flyer or with Falcon in his machine. I hope he's with Falcon, or he'll have found us by now. Ruffas follows the Blue Falcon from a good distance, trying to make sure Captain Falcon doesn't notice us.

I'm relieved that he doesn't turn around or try to divert us from his path, and that neither Mewtwo, Master Hand nor the Falcon Flyer have done anything to impede our progress. It seems we haven't been noticed yet. Still, we have to be careful; being with the Super Smash Brothers has taught me that even the best situations can turn into the worst case scenario in the blink of an eye.

--------------------

What I estimate to have been a half-hour of driving has made us follow the Blue Falcon and Master Hand through this seemingly endless section of destroyed buildings. We were eventually led into a cave, and thusly robbed of our vision; except for the headlights of the F-Zero machine ahead of us, we only had the Spark Moon's onboard sensors to guide us – or at least that's what I assume Ruffas is using to drive, since we haven't crashed yet and turning on _our_ headlights would alert Captain Falcon of our presence behind him.

Therefore it's a little unnerving when, after a few more moments of blind pursuit, our surroundings are lit briefly but a conveniently-placed street light illuminating a sign that says, "BLOCKABLE AREA." An aura of unease fills the cockpit when we see that we're no longer riding on a typical cave floor. The path has been replaced by a sort of bridge made of cold, cracked, grey stone suspended over a pit. The safety-railing is made up of what I can best describe as bones with mummy bandages wrapped around it.

I'm too busy taking in this disturbing scenery to prepare for the Spark Moon's abrupt stop, nearly flinging me into the dashboard. The Blue Falcon's headlights have illuminated a _massive_ door comprised of thick, long bones, strong iron and the skulls of what look like two demons. The first skull is placed about two-thirds up the door and spans about two-thirds its width, donning large horns that are curved slightly downward. The second skull is directly above the first, about half the size of it with smaller horns curved in the opposite direction, with a bright red glow in its eye sockets. The center of this massive door is leaking out a bright, yellow light.

I hear Ness gulp. "Wh-whoa… if that's not a gate to Hell, then I don't know what is…" he says in a shaky voice. I can only nod in agreement with his sentiments. We're not even in the Underworld yet, and we're already anxious… but I swallow my fear. If this is where Princia is, then that's where I'm going. Whatever lies beyond these gates isn't going to stop me.

With a loud rumble, the massive bone-and-iron gates start to open. The light that floods in from the other side is blinding at first, but only temporarily. Master Hand and the Blue Falcon drove through, and we followed from a distance. The road hasn't changed, but as we go along the path we can see that our surroundings are gradually changing. Smoke is billowing out from around the bridge, and this cave isn't looking much like a cave anymore… more like the inside of a massive, living creature. Archways of bone are lined up along what looks more like bloody skin tissue than earth.

Eventually, we exit this tunnel and find ourselves in a large cavern. The grey stone is now orange, illuminated by magma below us. There are other bridges running along all over the place… like a race track. "Lucas, look! Is that your kidnapper?" Ness asks me, snapping me out of my daydreaming. I get up from behind the seat to get a closer look down the road we're on.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ness can feel my surge of malice. "Deathborn…" I growl. "Yeah, that's him." The half-dead robot is standing there, arms crossed and standing beside his F-Zero machine. The cockpit of the Blue Falcon opens up, and out hops Captain Falcon… and Mewtwo. So he _was_ riding along. It looks like Falcon and Deathborn are conversing… while Mewtwo is looking straight at us with a look of clear disapproval. I'm really not surprised, in fact I was expecting him to acknowledge our presence by now. There is nothing but silence for a few moments. "Pull up so we can listen in." I suddenly say. "No point in trying hide now."

Ruffas hesitates for a moment, but complies. We pull up next to the Blue Falcon and open the cockpit to climb out. The scorching heat of the Underworld makes itself known. Mewtwo immediately contacts us. _"I knew you weren't still sick, but nonetheless I was hoping you'd have more sense then this."_

I only wait until I'm out of the Spark Moon before I retort. "It doesn't matter where or what I'm facing, I'm not going to just sit idly by while my friend suffers. Maybe if you _had_ any real friends, you'd understand."

Mewtwo's resulting aura of anger makes everyone but Deathborn and I shudder, the former because he probably doesn't care, and me because I know I'm right. And he knows it too. "L… Lucas! That was harsh!" Ness scolds. I only shrug; _someone_ had to say it.

"So you are Lucas…" I look at the source of the voice; Deathborn's speech is monotone, deep and cyborg-like. "I've been waiting for you…"

My fist clenches; it takes all the restraint I have not to smash this evil man's head in right now, but I have a question he needs to answer: "Where is she!?" His arm raises to point to a section of the flaming cavern, and I look along with everyone else. There, suspended on a pillar of rock sticking out of the magma… there was no mistaking that hairstyle. "Princia!" I shout.

"Lucas!" I hear her shout back over the bubbling magma. Suddenly, my attention is drawn to something perched on top of the pillar. I can't make it out, but it seems to be holding something up to her neck. Probably a weapon of some sort.

"There is only one way that she will walk out of the Underworld alive…" Deathborn says. "You and I are going to race… three laps around the Underworld circuit…"

I look back at the cyborg with wide eyes. "Wh-what!?"

"Are you kidding me!?" "What!?" _"Outrageous!"_ Everyone makes their concerns known, and for a very good reason: I don't know how to race!

"If you do not race, then Princia Ramode will die… if you try to rescue her without racing, she will die…" Deathborn says simply.

"But Lucas can't race!" Captain Falcon roars. "He's only a kid! Hell, he's never been behind the wheel of an F-Zero machine! Let me race you instead!" he pleads.

But his pleas fall on deaf ears, if Deathborn even has any. "Do you accept?" he asks me.

I don't know what to do… I wasn't expecting to have to do something like this. I was expecting to have to fight Deathborn or some kind of hellspawn, but _racing_ him? Captain Falcon is right, I've never drove an F-Zero machine before, nor did I have any plans too… I look back at her and the silhouette holding the weapon at her throat. She was pretty far away… there was no way that we could get her away from there without being seen, and that would be the end of her. I came here dead-set on saving her life… it doesn't look like there's any other way. I swallow my fears once again and look at him with determination. "Let's go."

Everyone looks at me with pure shock, save Deathborn. "D-dude… are you serious!?" Ness stammers.

"I don't have a choice…" I tell him. "Look at the distance between here and where Princia is, there's no way we can rescue her before that ghoul kills her."

"But you could _die_!" he screams. "Please, think about this!"

I look at Ness with rage; I already know the danger I'm putting myself in, I don't need him pointing it out. But… if I do die, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing… I'm already in Hell, and I'll probably wind up here because of all the blood on my hands anyway… as long as I have the chance to save her, I think it's worth it. "I'm going. My mind's made up." I say simply.

"But… but…!" Ness is starting to cry. He clearly doesn't have much confidence in me… and frankly I can't blame him.

"This is not a good idea Lucas, you haven't actually drove an F-Zero machine before." Captain Falcon reminds me.

I growl. I've had it. "Damnit, I know what the risks are! Do you have to keep reminding me every two seconds!?" I explode. Everyone except Deathborn – again – and for some reason even Mewtwo backs off. It's no secret that I'm not confident about this, and they _really_ aren't helping.

Silence follows. "Choose your vehicle…" Deathborn interrupts. Choose a vehicle? It takes me a minute to realize that both the Blue Falcon and the Spark Moon are without a pilot right now.

"_The Spark Moon."_ Mewtwo's sudden telepathy surprises me. _"I have an idea."_

I look at Mewtwo with surprise, but eventually smile; at least _someone_ is willing to help… I turn back to Deathborn. "I choose Princia's machine, the Spark Moon." I tell him. He turns around, lumbering towards his vehicle and climbing into his cockpit, the windshield closing. I turn back to Mewtwo. _"It better be a good one..."_ To my complete and utter shock, I see him crack a smile. I've never, _ever_ seen him smile before… he must be confident. That eases my anxiety a little.

I run over to the Spark Moon, which Ruffas is hopping out of… wait, didn't he get out of it with us? Why was he back in it? "Be careful…" he says simply. He knows it's out of his hands now.

I nod to him as I climb into the machine. "I'll save her, I promise." I tell him. I press the button to close the cockpit, and drive up smoothly beside Deathborn's machine… how did I do that? "What the…" I mutter, looking at my hands in disbelief… I've never been behind the wheel of this machine before – or any F-Zero machine for that matter – but it feels like I've done it a million times… and how can I even move it? I thought Ruffas said it was keyed to Princia's DNA? I guess he turned that security feature off… that would explain why he'd jumped back in the machine and out again.

"_I'm acting as the medium for a mental link."_ Mewtwo's voice invades my mind once again. _"I've connected both Captain Falcon's and Princia's thought patterns to your own. You have the racing experience of two F-Zero racers behind you."_

"_I don't like it, but I don't have a choice."_ Captain Falcon?

"_Be careful, Lucas!"_ Princia?

Now I understand Mewtwo's plan… he's giving me their reflexes and skills so I have a fighting chance against Deathborn. Between Princia's experience with this machine and Falcon's experience from racing Deathborn before, this might not turn out so bad after all. I smile and telepath, _"I won't let you down..."_ I'm ready now.

Something moving out of the side of the road draws my attention; it looks like bones are flying out… molding themselves into some kind of archway. Falcon's experience tells me that this is a starting gate.

A metal object floats down from above, holding three television screens… each one lights up with a three over a blue background. This must be the countdown before the race begins. I rev up the engines of the Spark Moon and see Deathborn doing the same when his Dark Schneider… Falcon's mental link is the only reason I know the name of his machine.

The television sets count two… I get ready to floor the gas pedal… or at least whatever serves as the gas pedal for this thing.

One… there's no turning back now. God, I can't believe I'm about to do this… I'm not sure whether to be afraid or excited.

The screens light up with a "GO!" in front of a red background. I stomp on the acceleration hard. Both of our machines rocket forward, the speedometer climbing up to five-hundred miles per hour in a matter of seconds. I take a brief look at the radar and see that the Dark Schneider is behind me. The Spark Moon has better acceleration, making me smile; I have a bit of an edge.

All too soon does the first obstacle present itself in the form of a pylon-shaped mine on the track. I absent-mindedly hit it, and the resulting explosion doubles my speed, sending rocketing right towards the railing. I hastily turn the Spark Moon to the left to stay on the track. A chill goes down my spine; if I didn't have Captain Falcon's memory of this track, I would've crashed right through the railing and into the boiling magma below. My amateur mistake has put Deathborn in front, and I inwardly curse. But all is not lost, this is only the first lap out of three, so I have plenty of time to catch up.

Unfortunately, this is much easier said than done. Captain Falcon's experience can only help me so much since he's only raced on this track _once_, and there was no telling how many times Deathborn has practiced here. With each turn I take, Deathborn inches ahead little by little. And the track has a great deal of winding twists and turns; it seems even more complex then it looked when I arrived, even more so than the Spiral track that was destroyed a couple of days ago, and that's saying something. I'm able to draw from Falcon's and Princia's experience enough to keep the Dark Schneider in sight, but I can't catch up with it and it just keeps getting further away…

This isn't helped by the magma that has found its way onto some parts of the track, which Falcon immediately informs me is bad news. I have to engage the side-boosters to move around it without turning and losing speed. It gives my reflexes the ultimate test. Of course there are shimmering, indigo "pit strips" on some sections of the track that repair the Spark Moon as I drive over then, but I need to conserve as much of the machine's stamina as possible for when I complete the first lap.

And when I finally do complete the first lap, Deathborn's machine far down the track already. Regardless, I engage the boost in an attempt to gain ground. I'm starting to get annoyed. I need to try something other than simple racing skills if I'm going to win this race and save Princia. This is a time where I really need to ask myself, "What would Captain Falcon do?" The answer I get is to boost into a mine… were the transfer of thought patterns not almost instantaneous, I would've screamed "WHAT!?" But I understand his plan. Once I get to a suitable part of the track, I fire the boosters and drive straight into a mine. The result is that I go flying over the railing…

But not into a magma pool. I land on a lower part of the track, having skipped a section the course and wind up ramming the Dark Schneider upon landing. I don't wait around to see the result, I turn in the direction I'm supposed to drive and hit the boosters like there's no tomorrow. If only the F-Zero machine's stamina wasn't decreased with each boost… but this problem was remedied with a pit strip. But when one problem is solved, another arises. It's not as if I'm the only one who can use the pit strips, as is evidenced by the Dark Schneider approaching from behind like a rocket. He can't be happy.

For a good amount of the race from this point on, Deathborn seems intent on destroying the Spark Moon whether than just winning the race. I have to slow down, speed up, and drive all over the place to avoid the frantic side and spin attacks from him, but I still press on. I enter the third lap and pray that there's another mine I can use to do that trick again; I'm lucky I made it a point to avoid them at all costs so I wouldn't wreck the machine before, because that means there are plenty to use. Anything to get me away from this cyborg dead-set on my demise; I boost into another mine and get onto the same section of track as before. I don't see him doing the same thing, meaning he is either backtracking to prepare for it or going along the track normally. I highly suspect the former, so I put the pedal to the metal, so to speak.

I use every bit of boosting energy I safely can on this final lap, wanting to keep away from Deathborn as much as possible. Not just because he was trying to kill me, but if he were to pass me now, I don't think I'd be able to catch up. Alarm sirens are blaring all around me except for brief moments for when I'm driving on, or have just recently drove off of, a pit strip. I put it in the back of my mind, knowing that I have to win this race at all costs.

When I cross the finish line, I feel relief like you couldn't believe. The race is done and over with… I slump into the pilot's chair, having come down from an adrenaline rush I didn't know I was having. I can no longer hear Falcon's or Princia's voices in my head, but Mewtwo's is still there. _"Well done, Lucas."_ I can feel a bit of his own smugness behind his words…

I blink, finding it somewhat hard to believe what he just "said." Well done? It takes me a minute to realize that I had actually _won_ the race… and it takes me another minute to even really believe it. I actually _won_ an F-Zero race…

I don't even have a second to revel in my victory. A strong surge of malice draws my attention to the Dark Schneider, approaching from far down the track. Deathborn is driving right towards me, and a trigger of the machine's boosters – indicated by a brief, bright light from behind the machine – tells me he has no plans to stop. Panic fills me; I won't be able to get the Spark Moon out of the way in time. With no other options, I open the cockpit and leap out just a second before the Dark Schneider spin attacks it from under me. I look on in slight horror as Princia's machine, having already taken a great deal of punishment, bounces and crashes along the track and ultimately explodes in a fireball.

I feel a sudden darkness coming up from my own heart at the sight of it… that machine… it wasn't mine, but it belonged to my friend… racing was pretty much everything to Princia, the only thing close to freedom she had…

"Holy crap! Talk about a sore loser!" I hear Ness yell as he walks up beside me. Other sets of footsteps from behind me indicate that the others are flanking me too.

The Dark Schneider turns around, facing me. I can't see into the cockpit of the scorched machine, but I can still feel Deathborn's hatred. His is nothing compared to mine. The Spark Moon, the ability for Princia to race, was one of her favorite things for one very good reason: freedom. Deathborn had just destroyed that freedom… and he was going to pay for it. He was going to pay for everything he'd put Princia and I through. "If no one minds, I'd like to do the honours…" I tell my companions. I hear them back of wisely, and I start to charge up my PSI. The machine starts charging at me. "PK…" I wait until it's right in front of me. "LOVE!"

I thrust my hands forward and let loose an explosion of bright-green PSI energy, and my vision is quickly obscured by smoke. I don't know what became of Deathborn yet, but I haven't been run down by his machine, which is a good sign. When the smoke clears away, I see the flaming, mangled wreckage of the Dark Schneider just a couple of inches in front of me. Silence prevails for a moment as I look at the wreckage, until it finally moves. Deathborn's purple-gloved hand bursts out from it and plants itself down on the ground so he can pull himself out, and when he succeeds, I can see that he isn't in good shape. His clothing is torn up in numerous places, exposing some of the mechanics, wires and hydraulics that make up most of his body. He looks up at me, not out of fear or regret… but I can see defiance and rage in his eyes.

I growl and charge up PSI in my hand. "This is for hurting Princia." I mutter before bringing my hand back and then thrusting it forward into Deathborn's head, leaving a nice new crack in the glass that protects his blue brain. He slumps down to the ground, unconscious. My hand is throbbing from the impact… but being able to do that myself was so satisfying that I don't care. I can only imagine how good it would feel to tear him apart limb from limb, but I decided not to make a spectacle of myself any more in front of my friends.

"I wish I could've done that…" I spin around hurriedly upon hearing that voice. I see Princia no longer on that pillar jutting out of the lava, but in front of me having been carried here by that creature that was threatening her before. Now I can see that it was a small, black-coloured gargoyle with yellow eyes holding a hunting knife. Happiness consumes me as I see her alive and well…

But that happiness is replaced with horror when I see a savage glee on the gargoyle's face as it raises the knife above Princia's head. Its skin has turned blue and its eyes red, but I don't have time to ponder this nor to tell her about the danger about to befall her. I rush to her and tackle her out of the way… but I'm not so fortunate. I cry out in agony as a staggering, blinding pain pulses from my back. I fall to the ground on top of Princia, who shrieks in terror. I hear the shocked yells of my friends as they try to rush to my aid, but the little fiend gets to do more damage to me before they reach me. I can feel the knife cutting upwards and over my left shoulder before someone knocks the thing and its weapon away. Being a selfless fool, I open my eyes through the pain to see if Princia is alright. She doesn't appear to have any wounds, but some of my blood has found its way onto her body…

_Blood..._

I quickly jump off of her with a shriek as the painful memories of blood, gore and destruction rapidly resurface. It's happening again… that bloodlust is returning… and at such a time! I can't very well dispel random PSI attacks in Hell, or I could attract trouble of all shapes in sizes… but I have to wonder what the blood of demons would look like… or maybe I _should_ go and tear up Deathborn to see if there's any human parts of him left… _NO_! I could put my friends in danger… but… I want to… I… want to…

I grasp both sides of my head tightly, the pain in my back and shoulder starting to take a backseat; now my head is throbbing, like it's splitting in half… I feel a quick impact on my forehead before the pain subsides and I slip away into unconsciousness…


	10. Chapter 9: Evil

_Chapter 9: Evil_

My body feels so weak… ragged, heavy breaths escape my mouth as I try to stand on legs that feel like they have the durability of wet noodles. Pain stings me in various places where burn marks and cuts are present. I look around this place, a cave of black stone and a mysterious violet light, to see nothing but death. My friends, all lying on the ground in a bloody mess. Kumatora, Duster, Boney… my dad… I'm not sure which had the worse fate, my travelling companions who had been struck down and burnt to a crisp by lightning, or my father who was practically blown apart by a merciless blast of PSI. They just… died… so quickly that there was nothing I could do to save them…

"They were useless and weak." My attention is drawn to the boy in front of me, the only survivor of this terror other than myself… solely because he was the cause. He is clad in a black jacket with a white fur collar and orange pants, a metal cannon replacing his right arm and a yellow sword grasped with his left. His face is obscured by his large helmet with a visor that covers his left eye, but it doesn't hide his identity from me… without the mechanical parts, he would be my clone, almost completely similar in both size and appearance. This was my brother… turned into a monster by Porky. "They can't pull the needles… it's the only thing that would give them worth in this world."

Anger consumes me. "How… how dare you!" I roar at him. "Our father… he was one of the people who brought us into this world in the first place! How dare you call him useless!?"

"But what good was he after that?" the robotic boy replied. "Life is meaningless without a purpose to fulfill. Once he fathered us, the ones who would decide the fate of this world, he was without a meaning. He lived much longer than he should have." I am about to retort, but I stop when a chill goes down my spine at the sight of him suddenly cracking a smile. Not a friendly smile, but a sick, twisted grin. "You should be happy you have a purpose to fulfill… even if it clashes with mine… but it doesn't have to be that way." He throws his arms up into the air. "We can pull the last needle together! We can destroy this world like it should've been ages ago! It's dying anyway, so why not speed up the process!?"

I step back in repulsion as he lets out a string of cold, melancholic laughter. Destroy the world…? Is that really what he wanted, to destroy all life here? But that's crazy! Life can't be meaningless! But despite my inner protest, I start moving towards the boy. "What the…" I tell my weak legs to stop moving, but it's as if I can't control myself. I walk past the boy, and my eyes fall onto the final, shining needle that keeps the Dragon of Darkness asleep. With this needle pulled, it will reflect what is in the puller's heart and awaken the Dragon with those intentions embedded in its mind… I came here to use its power to restore the world, but the masked man… he came here to destroy it. I can't help but wonder, though… whether life is meaningless or not, there wasn't much left here… and if the world _was_ restored, what was to prevent the disaster that tore it apart in the first place from happening again? Maybe… maybe it _would_ be better off destroyed… "NO!" I scream, trying to reject the notion. There was still life here, life that I don't believe is meaningless… but I can't stop pondering if it's the best thing for this world… but I don't want to be responsible for all that destruction!

Before I know it, my hands are clasping the needle… no! I can't pull the needle with such conflict in my heart! Who knows what could happen! "Yes… that's it, Lucas…" The voice of the masked man whispers into my ear smoothly, his non-mechanical hand clasping mine. "Let's destroy the world… _together_!"

I try to tell him no, try to tell him that I don't want to wipe out all of that life… but my body refuses to obey and just let go of the needle. Instead, my hands clasp it tighter. I can hear him laughing with glee as the needle starts to budge from the ground. "N… no…!" It's the last thing I can say before the needle evaporates into my hand and its top is blown off. But instead of a beam of white light like the past needles released, the hole releases something else, something that shouldn't be… it looks like a myriad of screaming, crimson skulls flying out in screeches of agony… I can't move my hands away from it. It hurts… it hurts like hell, like they're being melted and electrocuted at the same time, but I can't move away… it feels like I'm being drawn into it. And I can't get back… my body is frozen. I'm getting pulled into the needle… I don't even know where my hands are anymore, the pain is too much! But I can't get away…! I'm getting pulled in, my arms first, then my shoulders… make it stop! NO!

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When I'm finally able to let loose my scream, all I know is that I feel some kind of weight on top of me, and that I'm shivering and sweating underneath it. I thrash under it to try and get it off of me out of instinct, but something is holding my arms down. "Lucas, stop! It's okay, it's okay! The nightmare is over!"

Once I hear that voice, I stop resisting. I finally open my eyes, and I see Princia looming over me, holding me down… "P… Princia…" I rasp. She releases her grip on my arms, and in an instant I fling them around her waist, not wanting to let go. I have to make sure that I'm not dreaming… I can't believe that she's alright after everything that she went through. "I-I'm… not dreaming now, am I…? You're… really okay…?"

"Yes… I'm just fine, thanks to you…" she replies. I feel her arms wrap around the back of my head. This certainly feels real enough… I sigh with relief. I piece together what happened; I was having another nightmare and was thrashing around in bed, and Princia was trying to calm me down. "Feeling better now?" I was about to answer "yes," but can't because my body suddenly surges with pain. All that gets through my clenched teeth at that point is a growl. I hear Princia yelp in surprise, and find that she isn't moving until the pain subsides… "Ow… well, that answers that question…" she says with a tinge of pity.

"Ugh… are you okay?" I ask her. It wasn't the first time she'd touched me with a PSI discharge, it wound up burning her hands if I recall correctly…

"Yes, it was just a little shock… it wasn't too bad." she tells me. She gets off of me and sits up on the bed – I realize that I'm back in the bedroom – and I can't help but feel a little sad from her letting go… I can hear Ness' voice in my head now, reminding me that I have a crush on her.

I sit up in the bed, the blankets still over my chest. "Who did it this time…?" I ask her, having figured out by now that I was knocked out.

"Mewtwo." she answered. "He noticed you were suppressing your PSI and knocked you out before it built up too much. You also had a nasty cut on your shoulder, but we patched it up."

I suppose I should be thankful for that; the more it had built up, the worse the discharges would be right now. I might even have died if he hadn't acted when he did… I touched my shoulders, both of them since my memory was hazy, but don't feel any wound. I guessed it was either the work of a "heal panel" of Ness' PK Healing. "Well, no point in laying around… would you mind letting me get dressed?"

For a brief moment, I can see her blush. "Oh yes, of course." She gets off of the bed and heads for the door, but stops and turns her head to me. "Ness said he wanted to talk to everyone when you woke up… doesn't sound like he has good news… anyway, see you down there." As Princia leaves and closes the door behind her, I ponder what Ness could have to say… I throw the blankets off of me and look at the pile of clothes neatly folded up on the floor beside the bed, a familiar set of a red-striped shirt and black shorts that I wore a couple of days ago. I let out a sardonic chuckle, knowing I must've incinerated the clothes I was wearing like last time. Well, at least she got the set that I liked the most so far. I slip the clothing on, comb my hair and head out the door of the bedroom to join Princia.

Since I don't have that much knowledge of Princia's house, I retrace my steps to the living room I was in before. Everyone is here. Captain Falcon and Princia are the only ones who seem to be comfortable in their seats along with Ruffas and the princess' other servants, while Master Hand and Mewtwo prefer to hover and stand for obvious reasons. The only one who doesn't seem comfortable here is Ness, and I can darn well feel the contrast between his mood and that of the others. I take one of the remaining two seats in the large room, a section of couch in between Princia and Ruffas. "So… what's on your mind, Ness?" I ask him.

_"No, not yet."_ Mewtwo interjects immediately. _"Not everyone has arrived yet."_

"Pardon?" I reply. I look around the room, and it seems that all of Princia's servants and the group of Smashers are here, save for the servant that tried to kill me… I grimace at the memory. Who else could we be missing, though?

"Sorry for not being prompt, have we missed anything?" says a new, female voice from the room's entryway opposite to the one I took. I am very surprised to see the very definition of a princess walk in. Her elegant dress has a white bottom with a golden, oddly-shaped belt with a blue jewel in its center, holding up a violet-and-gold broach decorated with several designs. The most eye-catching design is a set of three triangles near the top. The top of her dress was violet, adorned with golden shoulder-guards on each side. She wore a golden necklace with a mid-sized sapphire around her neck, and wore another gold and sapphire crown on her head. Her ears were long and were offset by her long, brown hair, done up into ponytails on either side of her head.

A pair of men followed her into the room, one notably younger than the other. Their clothing was very similar, both wearing green tunics and long, green hats like that of the mysterious man. Both had brown boots, white pants and blonde hair, but where the older one had a white under shirt the younger wore a brighter green and had a belt buckle that looked like a spiral. "Lucas!" the younger one abruptly yells, rushing at me and catching me with a glomp. I gasp in surprise at the gesture. "How are you!? We've all been worried sick!"

I recognize all three of this people: Princess Zelda, her guardian Link and his younger incarnation, Toon Link. I just call him "Toon" for both convenience and to avoid confusion with his older incarnation, and he doesn't seem to mind. "T… Toon… you're… hurting me…" I rasp out, trying to breathe; for a boy, his grip is absurdly strong as the result of jewelry he wears on either wrist that he calls "Power Bracelets." He doesn't heed my warning, an ultimately suffers from instant karma in the form of a PSI discharge. That prompts him to jump off of me with a squeak, and leaving me to slump in my seat from the combination of both forms of abuse. "Touching me is a bad idea right now…"

"O-oh… sorry, Luke." Toon Link says, rubbing the back of his head. Now that I'm free from his grip, I can see that a fourth person has now entered the room, carrying the same grim aura as Ness… and immediately walking up to him and giving him a hug. The first thing I notice about her is quite surprising: she's psychic. She's Ness' age, wearing a pink dress with a white sash around the waist, and has short blonde hair done up with a large red ribbon. Ness has told me – usually boasting – about this girl whenever he reminisces about his adventures… this must be "Paula." She also uses PSI, but reportedly hers is much more powerful than ours. She could probably give Mewtwo a run for his money.

"Ness suggested that we get some help." Master Hand suddenly spoke. "We could only recruit his one friend from his world, so I decided to bring in some Smashers to help our cause." More Smashers? Was he implying that he and three Smashers – not including myself – weren't enough? Just what was going on? "You can start now, Ness."

Paula has managed to squeeze herself into Ness' chair with him, Toon sits down in the final empty seat, and Link and Princess Zelda choose to stand. Once everyone appears to be comfortable, Ness breaks the silence with a heavy sigh. "Mewtwo says he's going to bring out my memories so we can all see it… but I'm gonna warn you now: what you're about to see is horrible. _Really_ horrible. If you don't think you can take it, now's the time to leave the room." I can only look at Ness incredulously… it wasn't like him to be so formal, and _definitely_ not like him to be so uneasy. He turns to me. "Especially you, Lucas. This is the stuff nightmares are made of… you sure you don't want to sit out?"

I look around the room, earning a few concerned stares from the ones present who are more aware of my state of mind. But in spite of their worries, I shake my head and say, "It can't possibly be worse than the nightmares I've been having."

There isn't anything for anyone to say about that. Ness only nods and says, "Alright… start it up, Mewtwo." All eyes are on the Pokéclone now. His eyes are closed and his arms are raised as he starts to levitate off of the ground. When his eyelids open, they are a bright, sky blue. A blinding, almost painful light of the same colour emanates from his body…

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When I can see again, I find myself, for the lack of a better term, floating in a void. I can still feel the couch under me, and I can still see everyone else, but everything non-living has vanished around us. We are floating in black space… if only for a moment. Something begins to materialize out of the nothingness… and it isn't at all pleasing to look at. I can only describe it as a mesh of skin and wires wove around each other to form a path of sorts. It pulses, and I can hear a deep, raspy breathing… at the start of the path, illuminated by a white light, four poorly-built robots – at least in comparison to those of the ones used by the Pigmask Army – are starting to traverse it. They are grey and have stick-like arms and legs, and they have square bodies and square heads with small eyes. The only outstanding feature is Ness' cap on the lead robot, and they are easily dwarfed by the mere size of the… _thing_ they're walking on.

"This is the final battle between me, my friends and a horrible evil…" Ness says, confirming that the robot with the cap is him. "It took place ten years in the past, and the only way we could get there without our life being diminished was by getting our souls transferred into those robots."

Wow… that had to feel awfully weird. At the end of the disgusting path, the wires take on a more identifiable shape… something I'm not at all comfortable describing. I'll just say it looks like a certain part of a woman's body. In the middle of the construct is what looks like an eye. As the robots stand in front of it, the entire construction begins to rumble. The eye opens… to reveal Ness' human face as the iris. But even more eye-catching to me – pardon the pun – is the figure that materializes out of thin air above the construct; I've seen it before… and old Spider Mech, exactly like the one I saw in the Empire Porky Building when I was on that boat. It has four tiny legs and a single red eye with a yellow iris in its front, with a large glass dome to allow sight from both the inside and outside… and my surprise knows no bounds when I see its pilot. "Is that… Porky…?" I rasp out.

"Yeah… that's him." Ness answers. His appearance is slightly different; he doesn't have the wrinkles of an old man and wears a red-striped business suit instead of blue overalls and a crown, but he's still a fat tub of lard and has the same blue skin. "He served as the right-hand man of the evil we were here to destroy…" Porky and the four robots converse for a moment, before they start fighting furiously. They are running around all over the construct, avoiding Porky's frighteningly-familiar attacks. More frightening was that the eye that displayed Ness' face was also adding to the chaos, shooting off bursts of what was undeniably Ness' trademark PSI technique, PK Rockin. Even though I knew what I was seeing was only a replay of Ness' memories, I could still feel the evil intent behind each burst. Suddenly, Porky's machine leaps on top of the construct, having taken a good beating. "This is where it gets nasty…" Porky shouts a few words of pride and glee, before the eye of the construct disintegrates. "That machine that Porky called the "Devil's Machine" was what I think was the greatest terror to mankind…" Red gas starts to seep out of the empty eye-socket… "Guys… say hello to Giygas."

I feel like I've just shrunk away in fear, and I can feel Princia wrapping her arms around me, holding onto me in fear. I mimic the action, not able to blame her at all. The red smoke that Ness called "Giygas" was _massive _and constantly shifting and changing shape… but each time its shape warped, it would smoothly revert to a shape that filled me with fear: a red, demonic skull, swirling around and frozen in a jaw-wrenching scream. I could feel a mix of unquenchable anger, heart-wrenching sorrow, paralyzing fear… pretty much every kind of undesired emotion that a being could feel was practically pumping out of this monster. And I could feel it all… I've never been so terrified in all my life, and I'm not even the one who has to fight it. But Ness and his friends did… the machine below the creature disintegrated, leaving him and the five boys the only visible things in this darkness.

"Giygas is an alien who was bent on taking over the world. He went into the past to try and get rid of me and my friends before we became a threat. He went into the Devil's Machine to use it to increase his already-incredible psychic power…" Ness continued. "This is what happened to him because of it. His mind and body were twisted and mangled into that form… if you can call it that." Porky was no longer taking part in the fight; all of the group's focus was on the red monster. Giygas was definitely solid in spite of its gas-like appearance since attacks bounced off of it and exploded on it… but they didn't seem to have any visible effect. Giygas' attacks, while much more effective than those of Ness and company, were weird… I couldn't see them. The best I could make out was a darkened blur… it gave me a headache just staring at it. Still, Ness and his comrades pressed on, but their attacks only seemed to aggravate the demon. The twisting in his form was becoming more erratic, and I could hear words and phrases coming from it in a discordant, demonic voice… mostly revolving around Ness himself. "We attacked him with everything we had, but he wasn't even scratched… we were low on stamina and hope. So low, that Paula actually started to pray for a miracle… but we weren't expecting a miracle to really happen."

One of the robots collapsed to its knees and clapped its hands together, an unmistakable gesture of praying. No sooner than a half a minute after that did Giygas start to show signs of pain. The unseen walls of the area rumbled at the sound of the demon's ear-piercing, discordant screams of agony as its shape-shifting abruptly stopped. The gas suddenly exploded, surrounding us all… now instead of a single face, there were hundreds upon hundreds of Giygas' swirling, pained skulls spinning around us. The onslaught of negative emotion had to at least double in intensity, and the screaming and jargon roaring from every one of the faces was terrible to the ears. My heart is pounding out of my chest, and my body is slick with sweat… I feel like I'm going to pass out from the sheer terror I'm feeling. This sight… I've seen this before. This face was in some of my nightmares…

Ness shouted over the screams of the pained monster, "It turns out that Giygas' weakness, out of all things, was _good_ feelings! When we saw that he was hurting, we protected Paula while she kept praying to anyone and everyone we knew to send us their hopes and prayers!" And it seemed to be having an effect; the number of faces and the volume of the voices were increasing gradually as Paula continued to pray. The wall of faces was starting to become shaky, wavy and discoloured… like a television screen wigging out. But the amount of abuse that Giygas was laying on Ness and company was increasing as well; my head was absolutely throbbing at the strange attacks… it was clearly PSI, but I can't tell what kind.

Suddenly, the faces stopped moving completely, along with the onslaught of screams and negative emotion… if only for a moment. The swirling started again, but this time, only screaming was heard from the faces. I could only feel tremendous fear and pain from Giygas now. The amount of faces were starting to increase on their own, until it was unidentifiable static. That static quickly closed in on a single point in the darkness… before expanding with the force of an explosion. After that, I could only see white…

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When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the living room at Princia's home. Everyone in the room is pale-skinned and breathing hard. Those who are sitting are slumped into their chairs – or clenching the fabric in Toon's case – as they try to come down from that horrific display. Princia is holding onto me for dear life. What I just saw… what we _all_ just saw… I'm sure we won't be forgetting it for a long time.

"When we woke up, we were back in our real bodies… by some kind of miracle, our souls had travelled through time to get back into our own flesh and blood…" Ness finished. So… that was his story… I always wondered why he never talked about the final confrontation of his adventure, and now I know why… he didn't want to relive that experience…

"Why…" Princess Zelda broke the silence, trying to appear strong-minded. But I can see through the façade, she's as unnerved as the rest of us. "Why have you shown us this?"

Ness bites his lip. "Lucas, remember when you told me you were attacked by people with blue skin and red eyes?" he suddenly asks me. I nod slowly and shakily. "To be honest, I didn't believe you at first. And I definitely didn't want to. But after seeing that ghoul in the Underworld turning blue and red, I had to face facts…" He pauses. "That change in colour is a sign that Giygas has taken control of the poor guy by manipulating the evil in his heart… it can only mean one thing." He gulps. "He's back. And I don't know why, but he's after _you_."

For the next few moments, silence prevails as I have to take in what he just told me. Giygas, this demon who massacred his own body and mind to further his power… has come back from the grave… for _me_? "Wh… what…?" I whimper out. "Wh… wh… why… why me!?" I've realized the weight of the situation, and I start to cry… Princia pulls me into her chest quickly to try and comfort me, but it doesn't do much. Tears flow down my face as my body shakes… what am I going to do?

_"But this makes no sense..."_ Mewtwo telepaths. _"Lucas has done nothing to this 'Giygas.' And yet there have been clear attempts on his life. What could he hope to gain from that?"_

"I… I think there might… be more to it…" I say through my sobs, trying to get them a bit of helpful information. "When Princia's servant attacked me… while she was blue… she said I was 'getting too happy' while she pinned me down…"

I feel a slight bit of rage from Princia as I finish this; it just now occurs to me that she hasn't been told about her killed servant. "I can't believe it… one of _my_ servants… controlled by that… that _demon_…"

"…That… is weird." Toon pipes up. "Getting too happy? What on earth could _that_ mean?"

Mewtwo has an immediate answer. _"There's only one reason I can think of in this context. Giygas must be trying to drive Lucas to insanity."_ He's actually _trying_ to do that? It sounds preposterous, but… now that I think of it, every time I've been attacked by a blue person – the aliens on the roof, Princia's servant and the gargoyle – each time has been at the worst possible moment for me, to the point where it was aggravating… it might not be so farfetched. _"Which still begs the question, what does he hope to gain from it? We are missing a very big part of the puzzle."_

"Well, I don't want to sit here and wait to find out what his big plan is." Ness says, suddenly giving off an air of determination. "That's why Paula is here. I want to find him and destroy him before he tries anything."

"But how do we find him?" Captain Falcon asks. "There are a lot of places to hide in Mute City, and unless you psychics can sense him, we have nothing to go on…"

Unfortunately, he was right. The madness, the anger I sensed from Giygas… that isn't an easy thing to hide, even from a _non_-psychic. But I haven't felt anything close to that… even the murderous intent I felt from the mysterious man didn't compare to that. No one had an answer to his question… we were stuck. This was a major problem. "I think…" began Link, "…that the only we're going to find him is to lure him out."

"No… that won't work." Ness replied. "We never even saw _or_ sensed Giygas until we chased him into the past, and he was controlling a lot of people all over Eagleland at the same time. He's smart… he'll just control someone else to do his dirty work for him."

Link growled. "Then what the hell can we do?" he wonders along with the rest of us. Tense silence follows as we brainstorm…

A loud bang startles all of us. Loud yelling follows, and in an instant the living room is swarmed with people in white and blue armored uniforms of some kind. It happens too fast for me to comprehend, but all of us are being ordered to stand with our hands up, with guns pointed at us… they kind of look like Super Scopes… my skin pales. I know who these people are: the police. "What the hell!?" Captain Falcon shouts, wondering what the hell is going on along with the rest of my friends.

"What's going on!?" Ness yells. I can feel him charging up his PSI in case these people are hostile. "Who are these people!?"

"We're the Galactic Federation." says a female who is walking into the room. She is wearing a very dull-pink combat suit that covers her whole body with matching red boots and a red breastplate, with a yellow lightning bolt decoration on the left one. The presence of a red thong of some sort wore _over_ her suit makes me believe that she's some kind of model, but I figure it's only there as a place to clamp her pistol holsters onto, one on each side and containing the appropriate weapon. Her hair is long and brown, and she has purple gloves and has silver shoulder-guards. She looks to be in her mid-twenties. "But you can think of us as 'the law.'"

That last statement makes it bluntly obvious that the police have raided the home, but I think I might be the only one who knows why. I'm hoping that this is another ill-timed event caused by Giygas… but those hopes are dashed when I see that all of the police have their normal skin and eye colour. These people are in their right mind.

Evidently, Princia isn't clear on the situation. "What's going on, Jody!? What are you doing in my house!?" she scolds the officer.

Taking her time answering the question, "Jody" looks at a photo held in her right hand. She then looks at me and points. "He's why." she says sternly. "Camera recordings from our destroyed machines show this boy destroying them with his supernatural abilities, along with several buildings in downtown Mute City." she explains. Princia is silent… well, now everyone knows why they're here. She kneels down in front of me. "I don't want to be mean to you, Lucas… but the difference between just arresting you, and arresting your Super Smash Brothers comrades for aiding the escape of a criminal, is you coming with us willingly."

I can sense the complaints coming from everyone in the room that isn't a policeman, but it's not as if they can voice them while they have guns pointed at them. The fact of the matter is though, that there's really nothing they can do that won't make things worse. I'd like to think that I only went insane on people who were actually trying to hurt me… but that was true for every case _except one_: my latest psychotic episode, where I was attacked by Princia's servant, which happens to be the one that Jody is describing. That servant was threatening me… but what about the police who showed up on the scene just moments later? They were probably just inspecting the car crash caused by Deathborn… and the people in those buildings that I took down? They hadn't done anything wrong… I hadn't just taken the lives of people who attacked me. I literally made the streets run with the blood of innocents, people who didn't deserve the fate I'd administered them, and even _bathed_ in that blood… this was my punishment. No crime goes unpunished, as they say, and I've definitely committed a crime…

"I'll go…" I finally say. My friends can no longer hold back their rage, but their yelling is quickly silenced when they are reminded of the weapons pointed at them. They probably think I'm just sacrificing myself for their good, but that's not it. I decide to explain it to both them and Jody. "I know… I didn't just kill people that attacked me, not just people that were being controlled… when I lost my mind last time, I took… a lot of lives… a lot of innocent lives…" It's not easy for me to say. Recalling the memories of the euphoric slaughter made me shiver. I try to be strong, trying not to cry, but it isn't easy. "I have to set things right…"

Princia is the only one to speak. "But… Lucas! We won't be able to protect you in _jail_! You'll be completely vulnerable to Giygas!" she shrieks.

"I know, I know! But think about it, what can we hope to do with the police breathing down our necks?" I ask her.

"But… but…" Princia desperately tries to come up with a retort, but starts to sob in defeat.

All I can do is look at her sadly. I want to say something to comfort her, but there isn't much to say. "Don't worry, Princia… I'll be fine…" I have to tell myself that, too. I'm not really confident myself…

One of the policemen hands Jody a pair of shimmering, neon bars of some kind… probably futuristic handcuffs. I don't resist, I hold my hands together, and she slips the cuffs on. She guides me out of the room through the men flanking her, and out the front door of Princia's house… there are no less than six police machines out here, along with one I recognize off of the Spiral race track that crashed down a few days ago… perhaps this was Jody's? I am guided into one of the accompanying police machines, but I do see her climb into it. She must be a racer.

I look back at the house through the windows of this car to see everyone looking at me hopelessly. I can hardly believe this is happening myself, I mean I'm just a kid… but kid or not, it's no secret to anyone here that I murdered a lot of people that fateful night… I remind myself that I deserve this as I hear the car start up around me. I take one last look at my friends before the car starts to drive away with me… all I can do now is pray that things will turn out alright…


	11. Chapter 10: Deception

_Chapter 10: Deception_

I still can't believe it… it really is like everything is against me. After almost a week of struggling through all of my insanity and the pain it brought, I finally get an explanation and a target… and then the police knock on the door and take me away just a few seconds later! I'm sitting in a very strange jail cell… it uses a high-tech force field to keep the cell's occupants inside and blocks view to the outside like a curtain billowing in the wind. The rest of it is just like the stereotype; bleak, cement walls with a crappy bed in one corner and a toilet and sink in the other.

I don't understand it… all the pain, all the suffering I've went through over the last few days… and the real villain goes free while I'm the one who takes the heat? If only they'd at least waited until after Giygas was taken care of… then I would've happily taken the punishment I deserved for those people I killed. Unfortunately, that's not the case, and thus I'm going stir-crazy. The electronic clock hung on the wall above the force field indicates that it's been three hours since I was thrown in here. Has it really only been that long? And I'm already getting impatient! And God only knows how long I'll be locked up here… I don't think I'll be able to last that long. Besides, what was to stop Giygas from taking control of the people here and turning them against me? Being here just puts the police in too much danger, and it'll make my situation a lot worse. I need to get out of here. Not sure how the force field will react to my PSI, I face the parallel wall and charge up my power…

"Ahem." The sudden voice makes me turn around on reflex; the force field is down, and standing in its place is none other than Jody Summer. Part of me is screaming in my head to incinerate her where she stands, but it won't help anything. "If you were planning to blow up the wall, you'd just wind up in an adjacent cell. We're smart enough not to build cell blocks in the exterior of the station."

Well, there goes that plan. Straightening my body to better look at her, I make no effort to hide that I'm not happy with her, glaring at her for her snide remark. I notice that something is missing from her suit… the pistols that were attached to her waistband thong thing aren't there; the accessory is on its own. "You're unarmed?"

I feel her stern demeanor fade into a sympathetic one. "You don't seem like a bad kid… I don't think you'd attack me." She's partially right; I'd only attack her if she did the same to me, but she obviously isn't intent on doing that if she has no firearms or weapons on her. "I know there's more to this situation than what we saw that night… but we can't do anything for you if we don't know what's going on. Right now, Smasher or not, you look like a soulless killer in the eyes of the public." she explained to me. That didn't really surprise me. She walks towards me, extending her hand. I look up at her in confusion. "But I know you're not that kind of person… if you can help us understand what's really happening, we might be able to help you."

I can clearly see that for this proposition, the pros far outweigh the cons. Having the police hindering mine and the Smashers' every move against Giygas will be nothing but trouble. And while letting the police in the loop about the evil alien would put them in a great deal of danger, I guess they're used to that sort of thing. "…Alright." I agree, taking her hand. She leads me out of the cell and into the hallway, which contains many, many more cells of people both human and alien alike. Most of them were big and muscle-bound creatures, some were built normally and the skinny ones put off a creepy vibe. A good deal of them are staring at me, most of them with jealously… the most liable reason I can think of for that is because I've been let out of my cell.

Jody leads me into another room that stays true to the stereotype, an interrogation room. A wide table is in the middle of the room with a single chair on either wide side, along with what is probably a recording device sitting on the sill of what appears to be a large mirror. I know that it's actually a window that only allows visibility from the other side, we actually have them at the Smash Manor. Jody motions for me to take a seat while she sits on the opposite side of the table, and I do as instructed. "I'm sure you don't want to be held up too long, so I'll get straight to the point, Lucas." Fine by me. "How does a sworn-to-fight-crime Smasher like you suddenly go to the dark side?"

My eyes widen at her. "Wait, what!? How do you know about that!?" I exclaim. The Super Smash Brothers' crime-fighting occupation was supposed to be a secret as far as I knew. How did _she_ know!?

"Master Hand told us about it himself the day it was founded." she informs me. "He knew the local law forces of a world would conflict with his own, so we came to a bit of an… agreement so he wouldn't flaunt his power too much. If there's a situation we can't handle after giving it our all, we have them do it. Otherwise he leaves us alone."

I blink twice, trying to digest that information. I had to admit, it was smart of Master Hand to get that issue cleared up before any mishaps occurred. No wonder we didn't get any trouble with the police before… until now, that is. "Oh… I never knew that. Okay, anyway…" I exhale. "The choice to turn that street inside-out wasn't really mine… I've been having… mental problems lately."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "Of what kind?"

I let out a sigh, knowing that question was coming. "It's really bad… I don't want to go into what started it, but… lately, whenever I see blood, it drives me into insanity… and since I have to maintain my PSI, it has really bad results when it happens. Like what happened on the street."

"Whenever you see blood…" she reiterates. "Have you taken any measures to fix it?"

"I've tried restraining my PSI when I know I'm going to lose control, but it's almost killed me both times I've done it…" I explain to her. "It leaves me in terrible shape. Mewtwo suggested firing the excess energy into the sky when it piles up, but I've never been in a situation where I can do that yet…"

"I see." Jody replies, nodding. "So, why _here_ of all places? We don't know of any big-time criminals that we haven't needed the Smashers' help for…"

"That's because I didn't come here on purpose." I confess. "It was when I had my first psychotic episode… Master Hand was trying to apprehend me by teleporting me away… but I didn't care at the time. I attacked him with my PSI, but not after he warned me that using too much energy would mess up the teleportation… I should've heeded his warning. It messed up and landed me in this world…"

"Where Princia discovered you and took you in." Jody finished for me.

I nod. "Yes."

"I see…" she was silent for the moment, before asking me another question. "The main reason I'm talking to you now is because before we took you away, Princia said that you'd be completely vulnerable to someone… who, exactly?"

I shiver as I'm forced to recall the trip down memory lane Ness and Mewtwo took me and the other Smashers through. I'm not even comfortable saying the thing's name. "Giygas…"

"Giygas… tell me about him."

I gulp. "It's… pure evil. That's the best way I can describe it. Mewtwo was showing me and the Smashers some of Ness' memories of Giygas before you came in… its an alien that can use PSI like me, but… when it went into some kind of machine to increase its power, it distorted its body and mind into a… _thing_. What nightmares are made of. Ness thought he destroyed it, but it seems like its still alive and after me…"

I sense hesitation in Jody's next question. "How do you know he's after you?"

I look her in the eyes. "Because of his abilities… it can take control of people by manipulating the evil in their hearts." I explain to her. "Their skin turns blue and their eyes turn red… I didn't make anything of it until I was told about him, but now that I know…"

I hear Jody sigh. "The skin on the deceased people wasn't blue… not on the tower and not at the street."

I look up at her in surprise; they weren't blue when they were found? "No, that's impossible. I know what I saw…" I stop right there. I'm forced to consider something; they were blue and red when they were controlled... but what about _afterward_? I hadn't got that information off of Ness before I was taken away… but I did see the colour of Princia's servant change after she died. "Unless… their colour changes back to normal when the control is gone… that must be why…"

Jody grimaces. "And… why do you think he's after you?"

Unfortunately, that's the one question that remains unanswered throughout this whole nightmare. "I don't know… all I know is that Giygas _is_ after me. So far, almost every situation I've been in involving blood has involved those blue people in some way… even on the street, it turned one of Princia's servants against me when Deathborn took her, saying I was 'getting too happy…'" I let out a sigh. "All I know for sure is that Giygas is deliberately trying to drive me insane, but I don't know why…"

Jody looks at me with a sad expression. "It's not that I don't believe you, but even around here, that's a pretty farfetched story." she tells me. "Is there any way you can prove it?"

I shake my head. "I'm… not sure… I don't have anything I can give you…" Think, damnit! There's gotta be some way to prove it to her. "There's nothing _I_ can do to prove it… but the other Smashers I was with will back it up. Especially Ness."

Jody nodded. "Then I guess I'll be talking to him ne--" She didn't get to finish. A beam of yellow light suddenly shot through the one-way glass, singing the part of the table right by her arm. "What in the!?"

Neither of us have time to react before something comes crashing through the glass. Jody jumps out of her chair and to the other side of the table while I fall over in mine in surprise. The next thing I see, not even a couple of seconds later, is a policeman with the barrel of his rifle pushing against Jody's forehead. Time seems to freeze for that moment as with both look at his gleaming red eyes and blue skin, giving him the appearance of a zombie. There's no time to react before he pulls the trigger…

At which point we hear a metal clank instead of a rifle shot. I look down at the ground where the sound came from to see the smoldering barrel of the rifle on the ground. I suddenly get an unsettling, familiar feeling… I look back up at the man to see that he is no longer alone. The mysterious man in black, of all people, is in the room wielding some sort of blade… if I can even call it that. It's a very odd design of weapon; a long, metal black rod with decently-sized spear-tip that glowed a strange orange. The unarmed end – though not the very end – of the rod had a wide, rectangular handle that he was using to grip the weapon. I can only guess that he sliced the gun barrel off before it fired.

The possessed policeman turned on the man for ruining its kill, but the chance to retaliate was almost nonexistent due to how fast the man moved. I barely even saw him sidestep the punch the policeman threw – the only reason I even _know_ he sidestepped is because his cape billowed – after which he smashed him with the rod of his weapon hard over the head. The poor policeman fell to the ground with a thud, face-up. Both Jody and I watched with fascination and a little repugnance as his face seemed to twist and bubble up underneath the skin before returning to its natural state, including the colour. "Well… at least now I know you're telling the truth, Lucas…" Jody said, breathing hard from coming down from her anxiety.

I wish I could go into a relieved state too, but that seemed impossible with the unsettling aura that the mysterious man gave off. He slipped the weapon under his cape. How did he manage to fit it in there? The weapon was clearly longer than his body was tall. "I came here to pay the boy's bail when I heard the gunshot." he said simply.

That information surprised me… why was he paying my bail? Just what _is_ this man's interest in me? Jody got up and told him, "You shouldn't barge into staff-only sections of a police station… but I'll let it slide this time. Who are you and why do you want him?"

I look at the man anxiously; I just now realized that in all of the meetings we've had, he never once told me his name. "Just call me Shadow." he replied. I growl inwardly… that had to be an alias. "I'm a PSI master, like the boy. I'm not unfamiliar with PSI users with mental disorders… I can help him to live with it."

Did I hear that right? He had a way to solve my insanity problem? But… do I really trust him? Jody wasn't so convinced either. She turned to me and asked, "Lucas, do you know this man?"

I had to think about that for a few tense moments. What did he do to help me in the past? Well… if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have known that Don Genie was after me… or more specifically, my power. And it was Don Genie who hired Deathborn… who was possessed by Giygas… it made me wonder, is Giygas in league with Don Genie? And this "Shadow" seemed to be against the mogul, otherwise he wouldn't have told me about his plan… and as much as I hated to admit it, the Smashers could only be of so much help. They didn't know that either Giygas or Don Genie were in on this until I told Ness, but Shadow did… he might have more information that could be helpful. And the chance to fix my psychosis only sweetened the deal. If he had the power to help fix all of my problems… there was no reason to hesitate. Considering the enemy and my situation, I have to take the chance.

"Yes… I do…" I finally say. "He's helped me before… and he knows more about PSI than I do. If he can fix my insomnia, I'll go with him."

Jody still doesn't seem too convinced. She had to mull over my decision for a moment before finally saying, "I don't like it… but if you trust him, then I have no reason to doubt him." She turns to Shadow. "Let's get the forms filled out…"

--------------------

After a few minutes of waiting for the transaction to be finished up, Shadow and I were walking out of the police station. I was wary. It is true that I wouldn't even know of Don Genie's intentions if it weren't for his help, but his aura… the unsettling feeling that he constantly gave off constantly kept me on my guard. I look around, seeing nothing of my friends… "Where are the other Smashers? I expected them to be here waiting for me or something…" I wonder aloud.

"They're being deterred by the police." Shadow answered. "They were afraid your friends would try to do something foolish, like busting you out." We stop walking when we're beside a curious-looking, completely-black F-Zero machine. It had a cockpit on top of it with two wings on it that bent straight up at their tips, a body that had a circular middle and what looked like two long stubs pointing forwards at forty-five degree angles, and a bottom that was built somewhat like a foot that somehow balanced the whole thing. It had three hexagon-shaped engines at the back that were organized in a honeycomb fashion, with a wingtip sticking out of the ones on the left and right sides. He opens up the cockpit, again using his right arm, and motions for me to get in. "I'm sure you're anxious to see your friends again, and that's why I'm going to try and make this quick."

Like with the Spark Moon, I huddle into a corner of the cockpit behind the seat. Shadow climbs in afterward, closing the cockpit window and starting the machine up. I notice that only his right hand is gripping the steering wheel… why is he only using that one hand? "So, uh… how do you plan to do this?" I ask him.

As he starts to drive out of the parking lot, he replies, "I plan to go into your mind and isolate the memories that draw out your insanity, then reduce their impact on you." Is such a thing really possible? Then again he has a much greater knowledge of PSI than I do, so I don't have any reason to doubt it. "But unfortunately, even my PSI isn't that precise. I've acquired some machinery to link our minds directly so I can do it. I promise it won't take long at all."

Well… his plan sounded feasible enough. "Alright… sounds good to me. I just hope it works…"

"It will. I've used it lots of times." Shadow tells me before we're driving down the road. Eventually he comes along a very sharp turn in the road, but he makes it almost effortlessly with his one hand.

That's it, I need to ask the question that's burning in my mind. "Why are you only using your right arm?"

When we're stopped at a red light just a moment later, he takes the opportunity to lift up on the left side of his cape. I see what looks like a white change purse where his sleeve should be… and that's when I realize it. He uses only his right arm because he _has no left_. My face pales. "My previous line of work was… costly." Seeing that his unnerving aura has become even more so, I decide to leave the topic at that.

--------------------

The only noise in the F-Zero machine after that was the hum of the engines until we'd reached our destination, a building in the run-down district that was actually quite large, having three floors and a garage door entrance. He pressed a button on the machine's console, and the doors rose up to allow passage. Once we were inside and exited the machine, closing the doors in the process, he led me around the building and down a couple flights of stairs into a basement.

When we get to a doorway at the bottom of the stairs, I stop. My entire body tenses up at a sudden surge of malicious intent from the other side of the door. I gulp audibly. "W-wait…" I tell him. He turns to me. "I… I don't want to go in there…" Why am I so afraid all of the sudden? It's strange… I'm sure I've never been in here before, but my PSI and my instincts are warning me not to go through that door.

"You can sense the malice in the room." he says, not as a question, but a statement. "Don't you want to cure your insomnia?" he asks. Of course I want it cured, but… I can't. What is beyond that door that's making my skin crawl? "I understand that you're a timid boy, but now isn't the time to chicken out."

_What_. "Ch… chicken out!?" I yell, surprising myself more than Shadow… though he doesn't seem surprised at all. Unfortunately, it seems that being labeled as a coward is a pet peeve for me. "I'm not afraid! You want me to go in there, then fine!" I say with mock determination, trying to build confidence in myself to whatever horrors were behind that door. When he opens the door for me, however, that confidence fades away as I feel the murderous intent inside with even greater intensity. But Shadow is right; I do want to cure my insomnia, and if the solution is in this room, then so be it.

I walk inside, and immediately notice how cold and dark the room is. Shadow is quick to flick the light switch – which I don't really know how he found in this darkness, I chalk it up to memorization – and a string of fluorescent tube lights spark to life on the high ceiling. The room seems bigger than necessary and has very dank, zig-zagging, rusted metal serving as the walls and ceiling. Whoever designed that didn't have a very good sense of style. The floor is metal as well, but thankfully flat. In the far-left corner of the ceiling, there is a booth jutting out of the wall, with wires flowing out of it to a collection of flat machinery in the middle of the room. Is this what Shadow is going to use to help my insomnia? I inspect the machine… it's a crude-looking metal oval on the ground with all of the wires leading into it. I guess I expected something a little… bigger. I assume the machine is operated from the booth since there are no computer terminals down here.

I wish I could feel relieved that the machine isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but that terrifying feeling this room gave off made that impossible. I am constantly on edge. "We'll begin right away. Stand in the circle." Shadow tells me. I do as he instructs, standing at one side of the oval while he stands in the other side. "I have to warn you, this is going to hurt."

Somehow, I'm not surprised by that. "I'm sure it's nothing compared to what I've been going through…" I tell him. Then again I don't know that for sure, but I think it's a safe bet that it's nothing like the pain my PSI discharges have given me. As long as it's nothing like that, I'll be fine.

Shadow nods at me, and he looks up to the booth. "Begin!" he shouts… someone must be manning the machine from there. It makes sense since there's no way to operate it from down here. I hear a gentle hum as the oval on the ground starts to activate, lights on its sides blinking on and off. The top of the oval shoots out a red light that surrounds Shadow and myself like a veil… at which point I can feel the malicious force get even stronger. If it were possible I would get out of here now, the feeling becoming too strong to ignore, but I learned my lesson about disrupting things like this when I attacked Master Hand. All I can do is hope that nothing bad happens… "Now, Lucas. Open your mind to me. Concentrate on the moments in your life that are the triggers of your insomnia."

It's not as if I don't understand his plan, but concentrating is much easier said than done. The distraction of the mesmerizing light flying out of the oval around us and the sudden sensation of Shadow's mind invading my own was very difficult to work through. It's not like the time when Mewtwo went into my mind to give me information; this is much more direct, so much that it's making me feel feverish. I'm not sure how else to describe it. The situation isn't helped by the killing intent in the room… I find myself trying to detect where the feeling is coming from instead of what I _should_ be focusing on… I'm just too concerned about it to ignore it. It seems so familiar somehow… have I felt this wave of killing intent before? This terror? I'm starting to think that perhaps this isn't such a good idea. The past few days have taught me that when I feel an aura that is even slightly familiar, and I don't like it, then I should avoid it whenever possible. And I definitely don't like it. I decide there and then to get out of here.

A sudden cross between a howl, a snarl and a scream rips through my head painfully. I let out a strangled scream, and all of the sudden my vision has faded to white. It's as if time has stopped, trapping me in a world of pain… unable to move, unable to breathe, with a headache to end all headaches… it's a horrible sensation… then suddenly, it stops. My senses slowly return to normal. When my eyesight and sense of direction clear up enough, I realize that I'm staring up at something… a face. The face of a beautiful, tanned woman… when I realize what's going on, I feel my cheeks heat up. "P-Princia…" I stammer weakly.

"Are you alright, Lucas?" she says in a soothing tone. "What did he do to you?"

"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" My eyes widen in surprise. That was definitely Ness' voice… and he _swore_. What could've gotten him so mad? And what was he even doing here? "This piece of crap is made out of the Devil's Machine!"

I'm suddenly filled with fear. The only machinery in this room is… the oval I was standing in… both Princia and I look down to see that we're still in it. In a fit of panic, she hops out of it, taking me with her. I'm now aware that she's cradling me in her arms. I try to get out of this awkward position, but my body is numb from the neck down. "I… can't move…" I tell her. Since I can only move my head, I look around to see what's going on. All of the Smashers are present, except for Mewtwo, and Jody is also here with a group of heavily-armed policemen. Shadow is standing across from everyone… the aura of rage he's producing makes me shudder, an impressive feat since I'm numb all over. Ness is destroying the oval on the floor in a surprising display of rage and power, revealing the brown, flesh like wires inside… when he tore them apart, they leaked out a fluid that was thick and pale-white… like watered-down icing. It was without a doubt the wires of the Devil's Machine. What was Shadow doing with a piece of this vile contraption?

Suddenly the absent Mewtwo teleports in, holding… Don Genie. It was impossible to mistake the man for anyone else… I'm surprised that Mewtwo was able to keep the tub of lard in the air, even with his psychic powers. "Stop! Let me go, you disgusting creature!" he pleads. What on earth is _he_ doing here!?

"_I found him in the booth."_ Mewtwo telepathed. He was the one operating the machine? But, that means…

"Blast you!" Shadow roared, using a tone of voice that was completely devoid of its usual, eerie calmness. The wave of pure rage I feel from him makes me gasp. "If I'd only had a little more time, I would've succeeded! How did you find us!?"

With his free hand, Mewtwo points to me. _"Captain Falcon slipped a tracking device into Lucas' back pocket as he was being taken away by the Federation."_ the Pokéclone explained. Since I'm unable to move, Princia reached into my pocket and pulled out a flat, circular piece of red metal for me to see. It was decorated with Captain Falcon's golden bird emblem. _"Undetectable by most metal detectors. We acted as soon as we realized he was being taken to a place other than home."_

Jody was the next to speak. "They came straight to me. When I described your appearance to them, they immediately knew who you were. Shadow, wanted in six different worlds, prime suspect for the deaths of hundreds."

My jaw drops at that. Surely she was exaggerating. Shadow lets out a soft chuckle, one that fills me with terror. "Really, only hundreds? I thought the death count was well into the thousands by now…"

A collection of gasps erupts from almost everyone present in the room. Jody was serious!? And he was making it seem like little more than a joke! "What… what _are_ you?" I ask him "What kind of monster are you!? Have you really killed that many people!?"

"Probably... I haven't really kept track." he replies, not with guilt in his voice… but a sick sense of glee instead. I'm disgusted, and I can feel the disgust of everyone else in the room. Then, without any warning, he dashes forward with his odd polearm weapon out. With speed that would give Sonic a run for his money, he is beside Mewtwo in an instant. Even the psychic is unable to react before he is clubbed away, leaving Don Genie to land on the ground. Shadow puts his hand on the obese mogul's shoulder, and he says, "Exit!" Both of them start to distort… that's the best way I can describe it. Their bodies distort in a wave-like fashion until they ultimately vanish. What was that? It wasn't PSI, I didn't feel it… before I can ponder this, I am disturbed by the uproar of discontented Smashers at the villains escaping.

"No! Mewtwo, where did he go!?" Master Hand demands from the Pokéclone.

Mewtwo concentrates for some brief moments, then opens his eyes with undeniable irritation. _"I can't sense him. He's completely disappeared."_

Master Hand growls and punches the steel floor, making a sizeable dent in it and echoing a "clang" throughout the room that hurts my ears. "Goddamnit!"

"Shadow…" I mutter out. Princia looks down at me. "I… he was the one who told me about Don Genie being after my power… I… trusted him…" I feel completely betrayed. I knew Shadow had some kind of interest in me, and I still don't know why, but I thought he was helping me… I thought he was against Don Genie, but now that I know he was the one operating the machine… it's obvious that they were in this together. Shadow is the enemy. And the Devil's Machine being used in this mind-linking device… that was proof that they were in league with Giygas as well. I can't believe it… I nearly just handed myself over to my antagonists on a silver platter!

"Lucas, why did you even go with someone like him?" Princia asked. "You barely know him, why let him bail you out?"

"He… said he'd fix my insomnia… I was desperate..." I confess to her. "His plan seemed to make sense… going into my mind and tuning down the memories that induced my psychotic episodes…" Now in question of whether or not the plan was even real, I turn to Mewtwo. "Is that… possible?"

"_Yes, such a procedure is possible if your minds are directly linked."_ he tells me. _"However, now that we know he is the enemy, he probably had a hidden agenda. And frankly I wouldn't even want to touch this evil machine."_

So it _was_ possible… now I'm left confused. If Shadow were the ally of the one who was trying to drive me insane, then why go through the trouble to _fix_ it? Or perhaps he lied about wanting to help me… just what the hell _does_ he want? I suddenly feel a hand grasp mine, and I look down to see that Ness is holding it. "We'll find that freak and get some answers… I promise…"

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Toon asked, standing beside him with equal concern for me. "You heard Mewtwo, he vanished off the face of the Earth…"

To this reminder, Ness has no rebuttal and looks at his feet. But I might have some insight. "Don Genie…" I say. "If they're working together, he might know…" And how were we supposed to find _him_? He vanished along with Shadow…

"Well, one good thing came out of this…" Jody suddenly said, kneeling down by the destroyed machine. "Now we have material proof of Lucas' story. Now we know who the real criminals are." She picked up a piece of the flesh-like mesh of wire, looking disgusted at it. I definitely wouldn't want to touch that with my bare hands, and she's revolted despite wearing gloves. "Don Genie has a lot more to answer for than smuggling this time, he has kidnapping and aiding a known terrorist on his rap sheet now. No amount of bail is going to get him out of this."

"Well, what're we waiting for then?" Captain Falcon piped up. "Let's get down to Universal Traders HQ and bring him in!" So he thought that Don Genie was back at his workplace? I find it doubtful, but we have to start somewhere, I suppose…

"Wait, what about them?" Zelda interrupted, pointing at Princia and myself. "Lucas is weakened, and Princia can't fight…"

Apparently, Princia took offense to this. "Excuse me? I'll have you know I was a quarter-finalist in the Brawl tournament! I can take care of myself, thank you! And Lucas…" she looks down at me, losing her sudden fire. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave him alone."

I'm kind of amused and a slight bit irritated that Princia is making my decision for me, but truthfully I want to go too… I want to see Don Genie brought to justice, and I want to hear any information he might have about Shadow and Giygas. _"Miss Princia is correct on both accounts. She was a formidable contestant, and we have a better chance of protecting Lucas against what ever plans Shadow might have if we're all with him."_ Mewtwo telepaths everyone.

"Then if that's settled, everyone to the Falcon Flyer!" Master Hand ordered. "I don't want to waste any time in which they can give us the slip again!" No one raises any arguments, and everyone races out of the basement. Princia is still carrying me in her arms since I don't have the strength to move myself, but that will get better with time. I'm too excited to care about my current physical state right now though. I finally feel like progress is being made… hopefully we can catch Don Genie and get some answers from him, eventually leading to Shadow and Giygas. What did Shadow really plan to do with me a moment ago? Why does Giygas want me to lose my sanity? I felt like the answers to both of these questions were getting closer…


	12. Chapter 11: Betrayal

**A/N:** PRAISE THE LORD THAT I HAVE FINALLY RETURNED! Due to personal issues, I've had virtually NO access to the internet or my fanfiction. And for so long! Geez... but I'm back and writing again, so enjoy! And HUGE apologies for leaving you all hanging for so long!

P.S.: If anyone from Starmen (dot) net happens to see this, I have a request; please update my fanfiction on the forums. Thank you!

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_Chapter 11: Betrayal_

It seemed that things were finally starting to come together. If these Federation troopers were as skilled as their reputation dictates, then we'll have Don Genie in captivity fairly soon, and hopefully he'll give us some insight into the plans of Shadow and Giygas. Of course, we're not assuming anything at this point, only hoping… and I'm hoping the most out of us all.

Therefore it was infuriating when I was told to wait on the Falcon Flyer with Princia, Ness, Paula and Toon while the adults searched Universal Traders HQ. Though I couldn't deny that it was probably wise; I have to remind myself that my mind isn't… stable. I have a very understandable and blatant loathing of Don Genie, and Master Hand was afraid that I'd totally lose it when I saw him again, resulting in the loss of our only lead and possibly a bunch more innocent lives… I really wanted to be there when the arrest was made, but I don't want to risk the safety of the good guys any more than my boss does.

But that doesn't mean I'm not losing my patience… it's only been an hour since they went in, but it's felt like an eternity. Still, how long does it take to find someone and bring him down here for God's sake!? I've rode the elevator in that building; if they were just grabbing Don Genie from the highest floor and coming back down, it should've taken them a quarter of an hour _at most_. I groan and collapse onto the sofa I'm sitting on. The Falcon Flyer is surprisingly roomy, having a whole living room set consisting of two large couches and three plush lazy-chairs, complete with soft red carpeting and a flatscreen TV hung off of the wall opposite me. And this was only one room. At least Captain Falcon knows how to live…

"Calm down, man." Toon tells me in response to my groan. "They can't be too much longer now…"

Ugh, I knew he'd say something like that. Though no sooner did he say it did the door on my right open up, and the adults began to march in. Link, Zelda, Mewtwo, Captain Falcon and Master Hand are all present and completely unharmed – well, not completely since Master Hand is still covered in patches from what I did to him way back – but it's apparent that they're missing someone. And I'm not talking about Jody Summer; their target is nowhere to be seen amongst them. I sit upright again and ask, "Where is he?"

Link and Zelda shake their heads at the same time, and the former replies, "Apparently Genie is on vacation according to his secretary."

"Yeah, right…" Falcon said, obviously bummed out. "But his office was empty and no one in all of the one hundred-and-some floors in that building knew why. He's definitely skipped town."

No one in the room is happy about that, especially not me. We all moan and groan in discontent. "Well, there goes our only lead…" Ness mutters, sitting on the other couch with Paula.

"Great, now what are we supposed to do?" Toon asks, sunk into a lazy chair on the left side of my couch.

After a moment of brief thought, all eyes turn to the boss. "Jody says that she'll look into it and contact us with anything new, but for now we're stuck." Master Hand sums it up. "We'll have to put our heads together and figure something out in the meantime, but first I think we all need some rest. I, for one, am mentally exhausted after all that's happened."

While I already knew that there was nothing we could do at the moment, it still wasn't the most pleasing thing to hear him put it into words. I wholeheartedly agree with the suggestion of a mental health day however, and I'm sure no one else here is complaining. "Then why don't you stay at my place for the night?" Princia suddenly suggests.

"Oh, no no, I don't want to impose… and there are so many of us, too." Master Hand says, waving himself. I know he's a glove, but I still find it somewhat odd for him to make those typical hand gestures.

"Oh, there are plenty of guest bedrooms at my house! It's not a problem at all." Princia insists.

Master Hand mumbles to himself, pondering her proposal for a moment, before Mewtwo interrupts. _"It might be wise to accept her offer. Shadow had her kidnapped once, he may attempt to do so again."_

Now, that hadn't occurred to me, and it's only now that I realize that we aren't _completely_ out of danger. The only reason Shadow had the mind-controlled Deathborn kidnap the princess in the first place was to lure me out… which he succeeded in doing with flying colours, I might add. If we were to leave her alone and unguarded, there was nothing to stop him from doing that all over again. "Mewtwo has a point, we should be with her in case he tries something else." I chip in.

Master Hand moved into the gesture of a man stroking his chin and said, "Hmm… alright then. We'll stay in the lap of luxury tonight." He straights himself out and turns to Captain Falcon. "Falcon, take us to Princia's home."

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Captain Falcon's orders were, thanks to the Falcon Flyer's speed, no sooner said than done. Ness and Toon – as usual – were quick to forget their troubles and live life in the present; they were very excited to be staying at what might as well be a miniaturized luxury hotel. But in spite of the cheery and excited air that they bring with them at all times, it was just impossible to shake the more potent feeling of failure and disappointment caused by not capturing Don Genie… at least, it was for me. I'm not sure what Princia and the older Smashers think about this, but I _am_ sure it's not all that different from my own opinions.

For the first time since any of us arrived at this world, we were left to our own devices. There's little to say about it, really… other than enjoying a couple of home movies together and having to put up with Ness and Toon's constant haggling of Princia's servants – which was even starting to give _me_ a headache, I can't begin to imagine what the servants themselves were going through – nothing interesting really happened. It was just a long day of relaxation… which I have to admit I've needed _badly_ after everything I've been through over the past week. It's given me time to reflect on where we stand… the true identities of the villains have been revealed: Shadow, Don Genie and Giygas. We only know one small part of their plan though, part of which involves me completely losing my sanity and part of which means my powers being used to create weapons, but we know virtually nothing other than that.

And there's still the mystery about why Master Hand and Mewtwo have joined us here… if Master Hand is only here because he feels responsible for my problems, then that's fine, but I don't see any viable reason for Mewtwo to have tagged along. They opt to go on _separate_ missions whenever possible so they can oversee everything and so they don't get in each other's way. That's their role, usually to keep tabs on a situation and intervene only when necessary. There's simply never been a reason for them to be in the same place at the same time, until now at least… the only explanation I can think of for this is Shadow. Giygas is Ness' adversary, they'd leave it up to him to bring him down. And Don Genie would fall under Falcon's jurisdiction, so Shadow was all that was left. Not to mention they were extraordinarily pissed when he escaped earlier… this disturbs me. If they know something about Shadow, then why haven't they told us about it yet?

And stranger still, as I lay on the couch in the living room, I realize that neither Master Hand nor Mewtwo were here for the entire day after we were dropped off. It's nighttime now, and they told us that we would discuss a course of action together before we came here… as the minutes pass by, I begin to think that Ness' previous suspicions of those two are well-warranted. What could they be keeping from us?

"Attention, Smashers!" Well, speak of the devil. Master Hand has just entered the living room. Has he been upstairs this whole time? Well, whatever… is it finally time to talk about an attack plan? "Mewtwo and I have come to a consensus. We're going to stay here for the night, but as there's nothing more we can do here, we'll be returning to the manor tomorrow morning."

What? We're just… going back!? "What… wait a minute! What about--"

"That is all. My decision is final." Master Hand says with a sudden, stern tone in his voice that dwarfs my own in volume, before spinning around in the opposite direction and heading back upstairs.

"Wh… what the hell was that!?" Ness says, outraged. And I'm feeling much the same, along with Toon; everyone else is very confused.

"We're just going back to the manor? After everything that's happened?" Link repeats.

"B-but… but that's bullcrap!" Toon shouts. "We still have to find Don Genie and get some answers! What happened to 'putting our heads together!?'"

Within moments, every Smasher in the room is voicing their opinions on Master Hand's strange decision. "Okay, that's it." I say to get everyone's attention. "There's definitely something fishy going on with those two."

"What? Who?" Toon asks me.

"Mewtwo and Master Hand." I shouldn't have had to answer that… seriously Toon, who else would I be talking about? "Think about it. First they show up in the same world on the same mission; that's _never_ happened before, they usually try to _avoid_ working together. Then Master Hand says we'll _all_ talk about what to do, and then they go behind our back! _Now_ we're just going back to the manor without bringing the bad guys in!?"

"Yes… something is definitely amiss." Zelda says, backing me up. "Both Shadow and Don Genie have committed terrible crimes in the past few days, and knowing them, they wouldn't just leave this in the Galactic Federations hands. Why aren't we staying to apprehend them?"

"I'm sure they have their reasons…" Captain Falcon says. "Their quick thinking has gotten us out of all sorts of jams before. Why should we stop trusting them now?"

No one in the room seems to have a reason to back up their suspicions, at least not one that they're making known. But I sure as hell do. "It's partly because of Master Hand that I've wound up like this… this murderous psychopath…" I close my eyes, unable to prevent my voice from cracking up or repress memories all of the atrocities that I've committed because of my insomnia. If Master Hand had just told me the truth about what happened to my home… "And even more, I'm also Shadow's target. If he knows something, he should at least have told _me_."

"Lucas is right." Princia continues. "After everything we've been put through, if they know anything, we deserve to be told about it."

"But… urgh…" Falcon groaned, probably trying to think of a rebuttal. Master Hand has put the members of Super Smash Brothers in a lot of awkward and dire situations in the past, as well as gotten us out of them, and Falcon was almost always the first there to support him. But faced with two people that have been in the firing line and having _been there_ to see it happen himself, he can't write off our objections no matter how hard he tries. "But what if they _don't_ know anything? They could be like us, not knowing how to deal with this whole mess."

Well, that _is_ a possibility, but it's such a remote chance that I only scoff at it. "I'm sorry Mister Falcon, but I can't believe that." I reply.

He growls and his mouth stretches into a frown… he looks like he's about to speak, but a sudden, _loud_ cough from the hallway leading to the stairs steals my attention away. It came from one of Princia's servants, dressed in a navy blue bedtime bathrobe. Is it that late at night already? "Sorry to interrupt, but… can you all come with me?" he asks. "I have something regarding your conversation that you may want to see…"

This earns a good number of confused looks from everyone in the room, including myself. What could _he_ have for us? About _this_? Princia is the first to her feet, and I figure that I might as well follow her. The servant starts leading us upstairs and through the hall, which I barely recognize… it certainly gets a different atmosphere when it's illuminated by artificial light instead of natural light. The soft pitter-patter of footsteps from behind tells me that the others are following in spite of their skepticism.

We are all lead to a grey, metal door at the end of the hall, with an electronic card lock beside it. He slips what looks like a credit card into its slot – probably a keycard, but I don't know what it actually looks like – and the door slowly opens on its own. Beyond it is a room with a pair of leather swivel chairs, set up in front of a bunch of control panels. Above those are a bunch of screens, with a larger screen at the very end of the room… is this the security room? The servant walks over to that large screen, turns to us all and says, "I was simply watching the cameras like usual when I picked up some… interesting audio from Master Hand's room." Wait… isn't that technically eavesdropping? And why would every bloody room in the house have a camera? I think that's rather excessive… but I find that I'm unable to care about the morality of this right now, though; my interest was captured when my boss' name was mentioned. "Watch."

The servant presses a button on the screen, causing it to turn on; a still image off one of the bedrooms is displayed… occupied by Master Hand. He's hovering over… a walkie-talkie placed on the bed, by the looks of it. What use does he have for that? When another button is pressed, the image starts to move… I'm watching and listening closely.

"I'm guessing you couldn't find him." Master Hand says into the walkie-talkie.

"No… I can't find trace of him left in Mute City so far." Wait… that's Mewtwo's voice… his _actual_ voice. But he has no need to speak, he can communicate telepathically; we wouldn't hear that on an audio feed. But I don't see him in the room anywhere… he must be on the other end of the walkie-talkie. I haven't seen him since we arrived at Princia's house, after all…

"Typical." Master Hand says, disappointed. "I wasn't able to get anything out of Don Genie, either. Shadow hasn't told him anything we don't already know." Hold the phone… I thought they said Don Genie was gone? When did he have the chance to interrogate him? And furthermore, why weren't we told about it? "We're back to square one…"

A pause on the other end. "Not entirely." Mewtwo says. "We may not have any in-depth information about Shadow's plans, but we do know that they involve Lucas in some way."

Back in reality, everyone looks at each other, then at me before turning back to the screen. "Yes, Lucas… what are we going to do about him?" Master Hand asks. I feel a chill go down my spine when I realize what's happening; they're deciding my fate… at that moment, everything around me practically disappears except for the television screen. My full focus is on this video.

"I have had some time to think about it…" Mewtwo says. "And I'm afraid I can't come up with any solutions that you would define as 'clean.'"

Master Hand groans. "I know I'm not going to like this… go on."

"At first I thought that the obvious solution would be to cure his insomnia…" Mewtwo begins. "But after seeing what happened down at Shadow's hidden laboratory, I don't believe it's possible without inciting his interference. And there's nothing _I_ can do to help Lucas with this, as I've said before. I then thought of trying to hide Lucas, keep him safe at the Smash Manor, but we both know that it's only a matter of time before Shadow finds a way into your sanctuary…"

"I know, I know!" Master Hand suddenly wails. "I can't stop him from jumping around dimensions no matter how hard I try…"

"Precisely…" Mewtwo continues. "For a moment I considered that we bring Lucas into our fold, to brief him on what kind of a threat he really faces…" Now, there's a novel idea! Why didn't they just do that in the first place!?

"What, are you mad!?" Master Hand suddenly screams into the walkie-talkie. Clearly he doesn't approve… "He's a mortal! Spilling the beans to him would violate our oath!" Pardon me? What's this about an "oath?"

"Exactly." Mewtwo replies. "This all comes down to one thing: time. Shadow will no doubt try tirelessly to rob Lucas of his sanity as quickly as possible, and we now know that he is fully capable of doing so. We just don't have enough time to put any other contingency plan into action." When I hear this, my heart sinks… can they really not come up with a solution to my problems?

"Mewtwo…" Master Hand's voice is suddenly faint. "Surely you're not suggesting…"

"As much as I hate to suggest it, we have avoided this outcome as long as we could. There is only one way to prevent Lucas from falling into Shadow's grasp." Mewtwo says, his voice becoming grave…

Suddenly I'm not so sure I want to hear the solution they came up with, but I can't bring myself to cover my ears. I want… no, I _need_ to know what they plan to do with me. Master Hand is silent, waiting for Mewtwo's conclusion as intently as I am. But no amount of time, preparation or ignorance could prepare me for the next four words that came out of that walkie-talkie…

"Lucas must be terminated."

My focus is shattered, replaced by a cold shock throughout my whole body. I gasp, and I hear the startled and outraged gasps of everyone around me. I… I can't believe it… Mewtwo… he'd really… kill me!? When the weight of this sets in, I suddenly feel weak in the knees… I stumble backwards and fall onto my bottom. Princia is to my side in an instant, bringing me into her embrace, but it does little to dull what I'm experiencing. I can barely rasp out a single word, but it gets the point across clearly. "Bastards…!"

There is a long pause on the recording before Master Hand speaks again. "If we lose anything because of this…"

"I will accept full responsibility." Mewtwo replies.

Master Hand sighs. "I will make preparations for the Smashers to return home tomorrow morning."

"Very well. I'm going to search for Shadow a little while longer. Over and out." Mewtwo says before a click and static is heard from the walkie-talkie.

It's at this point that Princia's servant pauses the video and turns off the screen. "I thought I'd better bring this to your attention." he says.

"This is… this is _bullshi_—" Captain Falcon holds his tongue at the last moment, remembering that there are youths in the room. I don't need PSI to sense what he's feeling right now… pure rage, resulting from his trust for Master Hand falling to pieces just now.

"Unbelievable…" Zelda mutters in complete disbelief.

"I can't believe they'd go this far…" Link says, growling… he's trying to suppress his anger as well.

Ness gulps, definitely feeling scared for me. "Mister… _please_ tell me they were acting… this is all some kind of sick joke… right…?"

I really feel like echoing Ness' pleas right now… I can hardly bring myself to believe what I've just heard, but everyone in here heard it along with me. Mewtwo and Master Hand… they really intend to kill me… "Wh… _why_!?" I wail. "Why… _how_ can they _do_ this!?" I can't stop the tears from forming in my eyes. "I-I… it wasn't _my_ fault! I didn't mean to get wrapped up in this! Wh… why do I have to _die_!?"

Princia brings my head into her chest to smother my tears, and I throw my arms around her before I completely break out into a long crying fit. "Shh…" she whispers into my ear, running her hand through my hair to – unsuccessfully – try and calm me down. "Don't cry, don't cry…"

"Wha… What do we do!?" Toon suddenly barks out, asking the question on everyone's minds.

"I say we terminate _them_!" Captain Falcon suggests. "Get them before they get Lucas!"

"No. _Bad_ idea." Zelda interrupts. "Master Hand and Mewtwo are _much_ stronger outside of the arena. We wouldn't stand a chance."

"Well, what about Shadow?" Paula suggests. "If we catch him, maybe they'll leave Lucas alone…"

"We don't know where Shadow is, though. Heck, even _they_ don't know where he is." Toon replies.

Other than my raspy breaths and sobs, there is only silence as the group tries to think of a solution. A very long silence, until Princia speaks up. "They won't get you… I won't let them…" Her sudden, determined tone of voice is enough to make me bring my head up to look her in the eye. "You saved my life, Lucas… I'm going to return the favor."

"Do you have a plan?" Ness asks.

She nods. "I can take him to Magica, to my home planet."

Take me to… her home? Her actual home? "Yes, that's right… you're a princess." Zelda reminds us all.

Princia nods with a big smirk. "It's a long way away from here, and home to the most high-tech army in the galaxy. They'll be hard-pressed to get to Lucas if he's hidden there."

"Do we even have time?" Link asks. "Mewtwo could be back any minute." Gah! That's right… all Mewtwo would have to do is read someone's mind, and this escape plan – or any other viable plan for that matter – would go down the drain.

"We can have Mistress Princia's ship ready to fly within a few minutes." her servant suddenly says.

Princia's expression suddenly turns serious. "If any of you want to join us, say so now. You can't be here when Mewtwo returns."

"Count me in!" Ness pipes up.

"Me too." Paula says, suddenly more cheery. Of course she'd follow Ness.

"Visiting another kingdom sounds… exciting." Zelda agrees.

Link looks at her for a split second before saying, "If she's going, I'm going."

"And I'm going if _they're_ going!" Toon says, earning a chuckle from the latter two.

Falcon is the only one who hasn't said anything, so now all eyes are on him. "Err, count me out… staying in a kingdom means lots of crowds, and I don't like crowds." he explains. "Besides, someone has to let the Galactic Federation know what you're up to so you don't get stopped by them."

"Then you'll have to outrun Mewtwo." Ness points out.

Falcon smiles and says, "Did you already forget? The Falcon Flyer has a transportation system built-in. I'll be out of this world before cat-face even knows what happened."

Yes, Captain Falcon is right… we've used the Falcon Flyer's transportation system several times when we went on missions. With everyone's roles determined, Princia looks down at me with a broad smile. "See, Lucas? Everything's going to be alright… we're all here for you…"

Still coming down from the shock of hearing Mewtwo's plan, I don't entirely believe her at first. But when I look around at everyone else, smiling back at me with looks of fierce determination in their eyes… I'm starting to become convinced. They're all willing to fight the odds for me, to _save_ me… I can't help but smile back at them. "Th… thank you… all of you…"

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True to the words of Princia's servant, everyone who was going to Magica was strapped into the seats of the ready-to-launch spaceship within minutes. I wasn't able to see the exterior of it, but as I glance around at the control panels manned by her servants – once again reminded of the servant I killed because of the empty seat – I can see wire-diagrams of it. Its design is similar to that of the Spark Moon, but with an extra pair of engines angled upward to accompany the original downward ones. I can't be totally sure of the ship's size, but since I had to go through a total of three mid-sized rooms to reach the bridge, I'm guessing it's at least twice the size of the Falcon Flyer. There are headlights on, illuminating a section of solid rock directly in front of us… which begs the question, how are we supposed to fly out of here?

Princia is in an elevated seat at the very center of the bridge, and I'm in a seat down and to the left of her; I guess she wanted to keep me close by. The other Smashers and Paula were given the choice to sit in a seat on the opposite side, but they all decided to stay together in the recreation room. Link and Zelda, and Ness and Paula… I guess they didn't want to be separated from each other or something, though it's not like I'm in any position to poke fun at their relationships. After all, the jury's still out on whether I really like Princia or not… after all that's happened, I can't deny that my feelings for her have grown, but is it really… love? I can't be sure… and I guess now isn't the time to obsess over it. I have enough problems already.

"All systems are fully functional, Mistress!" says the servant at the far-left control panel.

"The main gate is opening!" says the one beside him. This is followed by a loud "whirr" noise, one that isn't coming from the ship… I think it's coming from above.

"Lift off!" Princia orders. The ship shakes ever so slightly as it begins to rise from the ground… so that's how we're getting out of here, by flying straight up first. When it's airborne, the shaking stops and the spaceship quickly begins to hover upwards, but surprisingly with little G-force pushing against me… within moments the windows are no longer giving us the view of earth, but of the sky. Now I understand… this ship was pretty much buried underneath the plot of Princia's house in a hidden hangar. Probably another excessive security detail, but I'm certainly not going to complain about it now.

"Course set for Planet Magica!" says the servant at the far right.

"Go!" Princia orders, and the ship is immediately moving forward and up into the sky. To say I never experienced speed like this before would _almost_ be correct… I did go through this when I raced Deathborn before, but it's exhilarating and mystifying just the same. In only a couple of minutes, the night sky disappears and the vastness of space fills the view of the window. I'm starting to get excited… it takes a moment before I realize that I'm actually _in space_. Even for a Smasher, space travel is not an everyday thing; this is actually the first time I've been in space…

"Attention, Magican spacecraft." speaks a somewhat static-ridden voice, probably from the ship's intercom. I recognize it as Jody Summer's. "You have clearance to proceed away from Earth. Good luck, and safe journey."

Princia chuckles quietly. "Thank you, Jody. See you later." she replies. So Captain Falcon made it in time… that's good. If Jody has already cleared us, then Falcon must already be out of this dimension. All I can do now is hope that Mewtwo didn't intercept him…

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**A/N:** Dang... Lucas can't even begin to grasp the scope of how deep this problem is. Things are going to get chaotic soon... R&R! (I haven't got to type R&R in so long... ;_;)


	13. Chapter 12: Protection

**A/N:** Well, I have good news and bad news. First, the bad news; in updating my earlier chapters, I accidentally lost the old author's notes they contained on the site (30 minutes to update my butt). The good news is that I updated my earlier chapters, haha. No really huge changes, just grammatical fixes and such. So anyone having read the story so far doesn't have to start reading it all over again. I wouldn't make you do that... aren't I such a nice guy? (Though I doubt Lucas would agree.)

Anyway, judging from how things are going for me right now, I might be able to update the story every week. Maybe two chapters at once if I have the motivation, which may very well be the case since the story is getting more exciting and fun to write again... but I'm rambling. Enjoy!

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_Chapter 12: Protection_

Fire… everywhere… it's surrounding me…

I'm back at Nowhere Island… back at Tazmily… how? Why? Everything is rebuilt like the way it was before Porky's reign, but the entire town is an inferno! The fire is so hot that it feels like I'm burning even standing a few feet away from them, and it's so widespread that there's no exit…

"Lucas…" a pained voice calls out to me. I turn around, and my mouth is wide with what I see. It's my friend, Kumatora… on fire! The skin was actually melting off of her! "Why didn't you save us…"

"K-Kumatora… I-I…" Before I can get out a response, she collapses face first onto the ground. The flames on her body double in size, enveloping her completely. I yelp and back away from the expanding blaze.

"Murderer…" Another voice from behind me; I wheel around. This time it's my own father, Flint… he's also on fire, and in even worse shape than Kumatora… "You went through all that turmoil just to save your own sorry self, didn't you…"

He falls as well, erupting in a fireball just like Kumatora. There's too much fire! I try dashing off to the side, but I smack into something… it's Duster… "Careless coward… you're worse than me…"

"Weak, sadistic creep… what kind of brother are you…?" I spin around, and there's Claus… both of them collapse around me, exploding into flame… I… I can't get out… their hellfire from their bodies has completely surrounded me…

"HELP!" I scream, pleading for someone to save me from this inferno. "Somebody, help me!" But it's too late… the fire consumes me, and I can practically see the gates of hell… all turns red…

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The next thing I know, I'm not screaming my lungs out in a brushfire, but rather in a bedroom… the bedroom of Princia's spaceship. It was another nightmare… typical. But something's different… along with the typical cold sweat and ragged breathing that usually accompanies my hasty awakening, my right hand is hurting… badly. Almost like it's on fire. I instinctively wave it around, but I see that it isn't fire on my hand… but instead a red glow. As soon as I bring in front of my face to look at it, the glow fades, and the smell of burnt flesh wafts into my nose… a good portion of my palm and some of the back of my hand have some decent burns on them, and it _hurts_! I'm not sure what to do about this at the moment; I'm afraid to grab my hand with my other one and nurse it like a traditional wound, because that'd probably hurt even more… but how did this happen!?

I look around the bedroom area, which is oddly plain considering the doilies and cozies that Princia usually has strewn around her things; it's a simple, small room with a large bed, dresser with a mirror on top of it and a bathroom area in the corner. There was also a window that displays the outside of the ship – which is just the cold void of outer space in this case – but other than that… I don't know what could've burnt my hand. There was nothing for me to stick it in to get it burnt, at least not that I can find… my eyes fall back down to the bed, where my hand was before I woke up. It also has a hole burnt through it… but the bed didn't have any warmers or the like built into it…

That's when I realize the only possible explanation. There _is_ a source of fire in the room… _me_. Or rather, my PK Fire ability… the only way is that my hand could've been burned like this is if PK Fire was triggered in my sleep. I burned the blanket, and the resulting heat did the damage. But… this has never happened before… my PSI has never activated in my _sleep_ before… I'm surprised that the whole blanket didn't go up in a fireball… it must be flame-retardant. If it hadn't been…

"Hey! Are you alright in there!?" shouts a voice from the other side of the door… one of Princia's servants. I nearly jump out of my skin… what would he think if he saw this!? I quickly hide my burnt hand behind me in case he decides to come in, thus being reminded of the blistering pain… it almost brings tears to my eyes and makes me yelp, but I bite back the screams.

"I-it was just a nightmare! I'm fine!" I yell back.

I hear a sigh of relief from the other side. "Whew… anyway, we're almost to Magica. You should get ready." he says.

I then hear his footsteps moving away… when I no longer can, I yank my hand out from under me and try to shake the stinging off without success… what a lie that was! I'm definitely _not_ fine… I've had yet another nightmare, and I burnt my hand… I nearly _killed myself_. When the weight of this sinks in, I feel a chill surge up my spine… I was nearly killed with my own power. My mental illness is getting worse… first it was insanity, now I'm starting to lose control of my PSI completely… I can't believe it. I'm not even safe in my sleep anymore… I'd gladly take my nightmares over _this_…

I change the subject; mulling over this isn't going to make me stop worrying. I need to focus on the present… we're almost to Magica, Princia's home planet where she is a princess. She'll likely have too many of her own problems, so I decide that this is no time to worry her with my own. I start using PK Healing on my burns…

--------------------

After showering and combing my hair to make myself look presentable, I made my way to the recreation room. It was twice the size of the one in the Falcon Flyer, but its design was almost totally identical… the only differences were the wider spacing of the furniture and the elegant furniture and decoration. Link and Zelda were sitting together on a couch conversing, Princia was camped out in a lazy chair staring out a window, and Paula… she was on the other couch, but Ness wasn't with her like usual. Knowing him, he's still asleep, and apparently Toon as well since he wasn't here. "Good morning, Lucas." Zelda greets me.

"Morning…" I say back, plopping down into a vacant chair. I'm trying to appear half-asleep like I usually am so no one will worry, but in reality I'm still very shaken by what just happened… in all of the time I've practiced PSI, this was the first this has ever happened. It's not the same as when I'm having an episode, at least I have _some_ form of control… but after that nightmare, discovering that my hand was burnt… it's very unnerving. I just hope no one finds out, I don't want them to worry about me any more than they already are…

And that's when I notice Paula staring at me. While the rest are lost in their own trains of thought, her gaze has fallen directly on me. It's really disturbing… I look back at her with the same stare, as if to ask what the problem is. All she does in response is shake her head and sigh… what did I do wrong? Only a few seconds later, Ness enters the room. "Morning, guys!" he says cheerily before jumping onto an empty spot on Paula's couch, and she smiles… but I can tell that something's wrong with it. I can tell that it's a forced-out gesture, but… I can't read her emotions. Weird… she must be masking her feelings with her PSI. I've seen Mewtwo do it before. But why…?

"M-morning…" I stutter out, stumbling out of my train of thought upon realizing that I hadn't answered Ness' greeting. Hopefully he wouldn't think anything of it… just in case he does, I decide not to give him a chance to follow up. I'd expected Princia to be the first to notice me entering the room at least, but she's too focused on whatever was outside of the ship… curious, I get off of my couch and walk over to her. "Morning, Princia."

She quickly snaps out of whatever daze she was in and looks at me. "Oh, good morning, Lucas…" she replies wearily.

It's strange, she seems kind of downcast… that's not like her at all. "What's on your mind? You seem a little sad…" I ask.

She stares at me for a few seconds before turning back to the window. "Look out here, Lucas." she tells me, shifting her position on the chair so I have enough room to crawl onto it and look through the spaceship's exterior glass. What I see takes my breath away… it's a massive, brownish-orange ball with swirly-colours around it. "This is Magica. This is my home planet."

So, this is… Magica? This is her home planet… I've never seen a planet from outer space before. I've seen them in books and things like that, but to actually see a planet in space _for real_? It's an indescribable experience… "Whoa… it's beautiful…"

"Yes, it is…" she replies before letting out a large sigh. "I was trying so hard not to have to return here, to keep my freedom by racing in the F-Zero… but…" Her hand touches the glass. "I never realized how much I missed my real home…"

Now I understand… I'd nearly forgotten that she was the princess of this planet. She didn't want to become queen, so she ran away… part of me can't begin to understand how someone would willingly leave there home, even for something as major as that. Being forced into a lifestyle that you hated to begin with wasn't good either, but… "You should be glad you have a home to go back to, Princia…" I say in an attempt to comfort her, though it doesn't help my mood at all… it reminds me that I don't have a home to return to…

She turns to me, her eyes full of sympathy and understanding. "Yes… I suppose not everyone is as lucky…" We both know that she's referring to me in particular. All I can do is nod in agreement… I can't help but wonder how many others there are who have lost their homes like me… maybe I'd be better off not knowing…

Deciding to get my mind off of such a depressing subject, I look back out at Planet Magica. I then notice something strange… this view is from the _side_ window. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure this spaceship can't fly sideways. "Hold on… why aren't we heading towards it?" I ask.

"Oh, there's some problems at the spaceport." she informs me. "There's nowhere to dock the ship. They said they'd contact us once they free up some room."

Such a meager inconvenience… but that's all it is, meager. So much so that I find myself chuckling at it… well, compared to everything else I've been through, waiting a little while longer to get back on solid ground isn't all that bad.

--------------------

Apparently it had been a couple of hours since Princia was stopped by the spaceport, but I was luckily asleep so I didn't have to wait those two hours like the ones who had been awake for it. It was only a few minutes after mine and Princia's conversation ended that we received a message from the spaceport clearing us for landing. The approach was something I won't be forgetting for a long time… the view of Magica's cities from all the way up in the sky was astonishing. The planet itself appeared to be mostly desert, but its cities weren't in the ground. Instead all of the buildings were on massive, floating platforms, enclosed by equally massive glass domes. "Whoa… this is so cool…" Ness commented as he stared out the window with me.

"I've never seen a civilization so advanced…" Zelda says.

"We have to be in order to survive here." Princia explains. "All of Magica is a desert planet with no water or plant-life. We have to use a combination of science and magic to thrive."

"Science _and_ magic?" Zelda says, quite surprised. "In all of the stories I've heard, they are two opposing forces. They simply can't coexist."

Princia chuckled to herself. "That's what the ancient Magicans used to think too, but when their resources dried up, they had to give it a try… and look where we are now."

As I look back down at the floating cities of Magica, I can definitely see her point. Living in a desert is one thing, but to do so without any water or food… it would be impossible. Science and magic don't usually mix… the typical stereotypes are that scientists simply can't understand magic, and that magicians or sorcerers or the like can't stand finding a logical explanation for everything. They are two very different cultures… and yet the people of Magica have found a way to combine them and not only thrive on an otherwise inhospitable world, but also build a civilization that dwarfs countless others in terms of evolution.

A few minutes later, we descend into the glass dome of the spaceport. It really was packed tight with other ships and their crewmen. When I exit the spaceship and get back on "solid" ground, I could only see that the ceiling of this place was the glass dome and that the floor was pavement, but that was it; everything else was obscured with flight-capable hunks of metal. "Geez, is this rush hour or what?" Ness comments. Leave it to him to try and brighten up the situation, even if his humor was a little dry…

"Your Highness!" says a pair of voices to my right… as soon as Princia had started on her way down the exit ramp of her ship, two heavily-dressed people came running to us. They wore yellow robes with red capes with matching red masks that covered all but their eyes, the opening made into a visor shape. Heavy brown boots and brown gauntlets covered their limbs, and both held some really heavy-looking lances in their right hands. Pistols were also holstered to belts tightly tied around their waists.

"My, my. You have good response time." Princia replies to them as she steps down onto the paved ground. So she knew these people? And they had referred to her as "Your Highness…" Perhaps these were the royal guard or something?

"Not quite. We received a transmission from the Federation." explains one of the men; his mask moves as he speaks. "Miss Jody Summer elaborated on the events that transpired at Mute City. When your father learned that Smashers were with you, he made plans to accommodate them."

We were all quite surprised to hear this. Well, not so much that Jody had let Magica know we were coming, that was actually smart of her… but accommodations? "He went out of his way to do that for them? Why?" Princia asks.

"We don't know ourselves." the guard replies. "We were simply asked to escort you all to the palace when you made landfall."

We all looked at each other, quietly muttering our own surprise and concerns… something was definitely strange about this. We then looked at Princia, who eventually said, "Well, let's not keep my Father waiting then."

The guards nodded and one of them then said, "If you'll come with us…"

--------------------

Wow, we're really covering some distance today, having rode a total of three spaceships over the past two days… well, maybe "spaceship" isn't the right term for the transport we're in now. It certainly had none of the comfort of the Falcon Flyer or Princia's ship; it was a transport, plain and simple. A simple grey exterior _and_ interior with no windows except for out the back exit door, with the side walls lined with six blue-padded seats each. To further increase the discomfort, it was hot. I hope that the palace has air conditioning…

On a brighter note, this trip was brief. I estimate that it was a mere half-hour before the transport touched down at the palace airstrip, which was also sealed off by a large glass dome. And thankfully, yes, there _is_ air conditioning here. There's little time to enjoy it though, as the guards are wasting no time leading us into Princia's true home. For the brief moment we were "outside," I could see that the Magican Royal Palace was so ridiculously gargantuan that it was difficult to believe that its gravity-defying landscape could support its weight. Perhaps it's a good thing that we had some people to lead us around here… I bet I could get lost quite easily.

The interior was even more impressive. It was much like Princia's home back at Mute City, but the decorations were much greater in number. The vases had to be twice as wide and three or four times as tall, and the chandeliers that illuminated the halls were woven into intricate spiral shapes. The whole place, or at least the hallways that we've been led down, gives off a very royal and ancient air.

After what seemed like an endless amount of walking and an elevator ride, we finally ended up in what had to be the throne room of the palace. This room was all the way at the top of the palace's highest tower. The elevator was just a wide platform that rose to the center of the room; most of the side walls were actually windows, except for the back wall. It was instead lined with brown-ish statues and purple tassels between each. In front of the centre of this memorial wall were three seats, the biggest in the middle. That seat was the only one that was currently occupied, by what had to be one of the biggest men I've ever seen. And I don't mean that in a bad way; unlike Don Genie, this man was the very visage of a bodybuilder, and he wasn't afraid to show it. All that covered the top portion of his tanned body was a yellow sash. He wore red, baggy pants that covered up all but the bottom of his grey shoes, and he wore a mid-sized crown on his brunette head that had two small blue jewels on both sides and one _big_ red ruby in the middle. In his right hand was a scepter that had to be as big as he was, the upwards end with a bowling ball-sized sapphire in it. Looking at him and the statues, I can see that the outfits are identical on each one. There was only one person this man could be…

"Father!" Princia suddenly says, running towards the man and wrapping him up in a hug, which he returns with his free hand. Of course… this man is Princia's father. The King of Magica.

"Your Majesty." says one of the guards before bowing before the King, his partner following suit. "We have brought them here before you, as you requested."

The King slowly gets out of his throne – when Princia lets go of him – and onto his feet. Mercy… he has to be at least seven feet tall. I feel like a gnat in comparison… "Very good. You may now return to your duties." His voice is deep and commanding, resonating with power… I make a mental note not to get on his wrong side if I can help it. At his command, the guards rise back to their feet and head onto the elevator, leaving us alone with His Majesty. "I have received word from Miss Jody Summer about the events at Mute City. I understand that you saved my daughter's life…" With these words, he bends down into a bow of his own. "For this, I am forever indebted to you."

I can feel myself blushing… it's certainly odd to see a _king_ bowing. And to _me_, even! I feel very embarrassed and humbled… "I-it wasn't a problem, Your Majesty…" I stutter out. "I wanted to do it. She's my friend…"

He looks at me with a smile on his face and nods. "Thank you…" he says before standing up straight again. "Miss Summer has also briefed me on the dangerous situation you have found yourselves in… is it true what she says? Does Master Hand truly intend to end the life of this sweet, young man?"

Well… that was a definite mood dampener. "Yeah, it's true…" Ness says, facing the ground. "We could hardly believe it ourselves."

The King lets out a heavy sigh. "I see…" He closes his eyes before speaking again. "From what I have seen, Master Hand and Super Smash Brothers are an icon of unity and strength in so many worlds. To see him reduce himself to such a despicable act… it's shocking." His eyes open again. "I will have nothing of it. You saved my daughter's life… for that, I will do everything within my power to protect you."

You couldn't fathom the relief I felt when those words escaped his lips. "Th… thank you…" I reply weakly.

"However…" The King's tone is suddenly more stern. "That is not my only reason for calling you here." Well… I should've expected there to be a catch. "You see, Smashers, I may need to enlist your help…"

"What with?" asks Zelda.

The King clears his throat before explaining. "You see… there is a murderer in our city. Many people have died at his hands, and we are powerless to stop him… we're not sure what causes his rampages, but so far three sections of the city have been ravaged."

"Wh-what!?" Princia shrieks. "How long has this been going on!?"

"For the past week." The King replies. "I dispatched some of the royal guard to try and apprehend him, but reportedly they were killed just as easily as the unfortunate civilians…" His voice quickly turns depressed. "The Magican Royal Guard are among some of the strongest and most heavily armed security forces in the galaxy, matched only by the Federation. And yet one man killed over twenty of them in one night… we are at a loss of what to do before he strikes again." He looks back at us. "And then I received the transmission from Miss Summer, telling me that Smashers were on their way here… I thought it was a miracle." He bows down to us again. "I know this is a very sudden request… but please, I beg of you… all of Magica needs your help. Please find and apprehend this murderer before more people die…"

Wow… so this is why he brought us straight here, and even prepared accommodations. He needs our help… but it was strange… he said this had only started a week ago. It was a week ago that I arrived in this dimension… I really hope this is coincidence, but I'm not getting my hopes up. "We'll do whatever we can." Zelda says, earning the stares of everyone in the room including myself. "I am a princess, myself… of a kingdom called Hyrule. I know what it's like to know that your people are suffering, to be powerless to stop it…"

"Leave it all to us, Your Majesty." Link says immediately after Zelda stops speaking, bowing before the King.

"Ehh, hold on a minute, guys." Ness interrupts. "We don't even know what we're up against here." He turns to the King. "Do you have any info on him? We need to know who to look for."

The King nods. "We only have the eye-witness accounts of those who survived his rampages, but such a man is hard to miss. He has orange hair and a cannon for a right arm, and a robotic left eye. Most of his victims were electrocuted…"

My head shoots up at the mention of electrocution. "Electrocuted? How?" Princia asks.

"We aren't certain…" the King answers. "The weather domes that surround our city's sections are meant to block out sandstorms and lightning strikes. And yet we've been finding victims that have been struck with lightning…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing… the arm cannon… orange hair… a robotic eye… lightning coming out of nowhere…

No. It's impossible. He's dead. And even living, he couldn't be _here_.

"Lucas, is something wrong? You look pale…" asks Princia.

I jerk as I realize where I am. "N-no, I'm alright…" What a damn lie… and I need to come up with another one fast. "I was just trying to picture the murderer in my head and…" Good, good… "Thought of a male Samus…"

Well… that just sucked. It really did. Princia and her father look at me in confusion, not knowing who Samus is. The Smashers' skin pales, except for Ness and Toon… they've actually fallen to the floor, roaring with laughter. Smooth move, Lucas. I thank my lucky stars that Samus isn't here right now…

"W-well, _she_ has an arm cannon! And her _suit_ is orange!" I say quickly to try and preserve whatever dignity I have left. The only response to this comes from Link, in the form of his palm smacking his face.

"Stop laughing!" I hear Paula say in a hushed shout, pulling Ness and Toon up off the ground and smacking them both over the head. Apparently that helped them remember where they are. They both fall to their knees and bow their heads repeatedly to the King, apologizing profusely.

"Aaanyway." Zelda says, trying to continue the conversation and hopefully forget about this royal screw-up of mine. "How do we find this man?"

Fortunately the King thinks nothing of my comment or Ness and Toon's momentary stupidity, and answers her immediately. "He always seems to attack at the same time every night, every two days… and curiously stops at the same time every night as well. From 9 PM to midnight, and if he stays true to his pattern, it will be tomorrow when he strikes again. As we know virtually nothing else about this murderer, we can only wait until he comes out of hiding… until then, feel free to explore the palace and the city."

So… that was the plan. We were to simply wait for the murderer to show himself. It was awfully simple, and more people could die… but you can only account for and plan for what you know about. This was the only plan we had… but I can't shake this feeling. The man he described… that description only brings one name and face to mind. But it wasn't possible… he'd dead. He died _in my arms_. _And_ he was on Nowhere Island when it was… destroyed. There's just no way it can be him… I _know_ it… so why do I still feel so afraid?

I need to get my mind off of this. The King said we were free to explore… I might as well see what Magica offered. As I turn to leave, I see all the Smashers walking to the elevator… but Paula stops. She's glaring at me again… that gaze that looks like it's staring into my soul… it's as if time freezes for us both for that moment. Eventually though, she simply turns away and heads to the elevator. Just what on earth is her problem? Not wanting to be left behind, I run onto the elevator as well…

--------------------

Magica is an amazing place. There were small, white pads that you could step on to reach other parts of the city in the blink of an eye. There were some kind of dispensers that generated food and water on command. The vehicles they use soar through the skies inside and outside the weather domes. "Amazing" really is the only word I can think of to describe it… Ness, Toon, Paula and I had so much fun. We tried things from watching a play to riding a virtual roller coaster. We pretty much partied until nighttime… or at least, _they_ did. I went with them and tried to remain cheery, but I was too busy thinking about what happened at the throne room… it was impossible for me to get my mind off of it. I'm still thinking about it even now, laying on my bed in this palace guest room. A man with orange hair, an arm cannon, a robotic eye and lightning… the only person who fit the bill was my late twin brother.

Claus, the Masked Man, commander of Porky's Pigmask Army. Porky played God and made all sorts of terrible, twisted creatures, either fitting them with mechanical parts or combining living animal parts with still-living animals. And there was no exception when he got his greedy, withered hands on Claus. He was made into a cruel, ruthless weapon of war… more machine than man. He was easily the most powerful opponent I've ever faced… but through a miracle, I was able to bring him back to his senses… only to see him shock me with more lightning, which was reflected back at him by my special badge…

I don't know why, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it _is_ possible that it's Claus who is behind these murders. It's plain logic that he shouldn't be here, but… the person who is after me pretty much laughs in the face of logic. Shadow. His plan is obviously to make me lose my mind completely, and bringing Claus back to life could be another one of his plans to do just that…

A sudden, terrible thought shakes me to my very core. I haven't told anyone about my past, about Claus… or namely, how obscenely powerful he is. If I hadn't had my Franklin Badge when I fought him to deflect his lightning, I would be dead… I don't have that advantage anymore, and neither do the Smashers. If the murderer really is Claus, then the Smashers could be killed… they could be killed so easily as if to be ridiculous. All it would take is one well-placed lightning strike, and it would be the end of them.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I still don't know if it's really Claus or not. My gut is insisting otherwise, but I've been wrong before… I need to make sure that it's really him. And there's only one way to do that… I need to return home. I need to go back to Nowhere Island, get into the cave where we fought our last battle, and see for myself whether he's there or not. That means I need a way to cross between dimensions… but for security reasons, the only transportation system in this dimension is where this dimension's representative – Captain Falcon – can easily protect it; Mute City. I need to get back to Mute City, and quickly…

But I dare not tell the others… if this were any other situation, I'd gladly bring them with me, but… I haven't forgotten that Nowhere Island is the place where this all started. Where I began to lose my sanity. If it happens again, and they're there with me… I try not to think about it. The only solution to this problem is for me to go alone. And it would have to be a fast trip… looking at the clock, it says 9:00 PM exactly. If Claus – or rather, the murderer – does keep to his pattern like the King is counting on, then I have twenty-four hours to get to Nowhere Island and back here, starting now. That isn't a very accommodating timeline… but I have no choice. The only problem is, how do I get back to Mute City that quickly? I would need an awfully-fast ship… perhaps I should enlist the King's help. Asking Princia is out of the question, she would insist on coming with me… as much as I hate to do it, I'll have to go behind her back.

--------------------

I ascend the elevator to the palace's throne room, hoping that the King hasn't gone to bed yet… fortunately, he is still there, staring out his long window. I can sense the despair from him… "Your Majesty?"

His head turns to face me. "Lucas… you're still awake?" he asks.

"I couldn't sleep…" I reply. "Your Majesty, I have a huge request… it's about the murderer." He is looking at me intently. "I have a hunch about who it is…"

He raises an eyebrow. "Do you now?"

"Yes, but…" I hesitate for a moment before continuing… I'm not really sure how to say this. I'm pressed for time, and I don't want to go into any intricate details… "I need to know for sure. I need to return home…"

"Return home?" His whole body is now facing me, and he's quite surprised at my request. "You mean to your own world? But we have no means of interdimensional travel."

"I know… I need to go back to Mute City, and fast." I tell him.

He is silent for a moment… an expression of concern adorns his face. "Do the others know about this?"

I shake my head to the negative. "No… my home is a dangerous place. And they have to be here incase the murderer attacks again." Only the second part is really true… the danger the Smashers would face at my home would more than likely come from me.

He puts his hand to his chin. "Yes, that is true… but I feel I must stress that you're taking an incredible risk. You won't have any protection from Master Hand or Shadow for the time when you're away."

I nod. "I know… but the Smashers could… die if I don't. If it is who I think it is… I'm the only one who can stop him. And I need to make sure it's really him."

He lets out a heavy sigh. "Do you really feel that strongly about this?"

"Yes… if something happened to my friends because I didn't do anything… I wouldn't be able to live with myself." I answer with determination.

He certainly takes his time before answering… will he let me go? Or will he keep me here? The anticipation is driving me nuts… "The fastest ship we have can reach Mute City in at least eleven hours. If you mean to confirm your suspicions and return before the murderer strikes again, you will have to hurry."

My face lights up. I knew he'd understand… "Thank you so much!" I say, bowing my head to him.

--------------------

Of course, there was a catch… the King did understand my need to go home on my own, but as for the trip from here to there, he had two of his royal guard accompany me. I suppose it would be difficult for me to fly a spaceship on my own, though… as for its design, it was smaller than the others I've rode on, sans the transport… the outside was shaped like the head of an arrow. It had four beds and a cargo hold, and obviously a cockpit. It was all really plain and grey again, though.

I would normally try to get some sleep now, but… I'm honestly afraid too. Not only would it probably be another nightmare, which would normally be reason enough for me to stay awake, but after what happened earlier this morning… bah, surely a few hours of sleep deprivation couldn't be that bad. Besides, with how tense I am right now, worrying about whether I'm right about my brother or not… I don't think I'd be able to sleep anyway. I'll try to stay awake… all I can do is hope that I'm wrong, or my friends will be in grave danger…

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**A/N:** Like I said, the story is getting more exciting. But Lucas' troubles are still not over yet... the story is approaching its next arc, and I promise it's going to be intense. R&R!


	14. Chapter 13: Mental Battlefield

**A/N:** Wow, this is the longest chapter I've written so far... hopefully it isn't _too_ much. Anyway, enjoy!

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_Chapter 13: Mental Battlefield_

Well, we've broken through the orbit of the planet where Mute City resides – I _think_ it's Earth in this dimension, but I can't be sure – and I've managed to stay awake throughout the entire trip. It definitely wasn't easy… I personally find it easy to fall asleep when I simply have nothing to do, and it was infuriatingly difficult to find anything to do on this simple transport. I decided to pass the time doing something that would be relevant to my mission; counting the total hours and minutes that the trip takes. This is important for me to know because I have to be back at Planet Magica before it's too late… though it was still agonizing to wait all that time, which was ten hours and fifty-five minutes exactly, pretty much the eleven hours that the King of Magica predicted. Let's see, two eleven-hour trips is twenty-two hours, and twenty-four minus twenty-two…

Two hours. I have around two hours to get my business at Nowhere Island done… I was hoping for more than that. Depending on where the transportation system drops me off, I could be in for quite a walk… I hope I can control where I get transported. But first things first, I need to _find_ this world's transportation system. Unfortunately I don't know where it is… but I'd readily wager a small fortune that the Galactic Federation does, so I direct the Magican Royal Guards escorting me – not to mention flying the ship – to land me at the police station where Jody Summer "interrogated" me a couple of days ago.

Jody herself was called to the front desk the moment I arrived there, and she was unsurprisingly shocked to see me in person again. I gave her a quick rundown of the situation, namely the part about my friends being in imminent danger. While skeptical, she didn't beat around the bush and immediately told me where this world's transportation system is: a building just three blocks down from the police station, where they could keep tabs on those who came through it. I have to admit, it's a smart precaution. Although, it took a minute or two to hammer the point into her head that I have to go _alone_, but eventually she understood.

A quick drive down the road in Jody's F-Zero machine later, I'm at the heavily-guarded building housing the transportation system. After a quick good-bye, I enter, and the system's platform is right in front of me. I waste no time turning it on and going to computer screen, typing in "Nowhere Island." Unlike the last time I used a transportation system though, I examine the interface more thoroughly, hoping to find something to help determine where I'll be transported. I find a button that says "Location" and click it, and the screen changes.

Instead of the normal black silhouette of the island, a 3-D image of my home is now being rendered. It's surprisingly basic; scroll buttons on the top, bottom and sides of the screen, a zoom function, and an option to view the underground. Some parts of Nowhere Island are highlighted in blue, some in red, and the mouse turns into a crosshair when I hover it over a blue section; I assume these are to determine possible transport locations. That's perfect, that's exactly what I was hoping to find. I click the "Underground" button, and the view shifts to a familiar sight; the deep caverns underneath Nowhere Island, where I fought Porky and Claus. Unfortunately, most of it is highlighted in red… only the beginning of the tunnel, where I dropped down from Porky's elevator trap before, is in blue. Not having time to wonder why this is, I click that point of the 3-D map, start up the system and jump onto the white platform.

The rings start to spin around me at their dizzying pace… it's frighteningly familiar. It was after the first time this happened and I went to Nowhere Island… that was when my mind started it's descent into madness. As white begins to flood my vision I can only hope, for the sake of my friends, that history doesn't repeat itself…

--------------------

When I'm able to see again, I come face-to-face with the familiar sight of the caverns underneath Nowhere Island, staring out at them from the inside of the trap elevator… but the sight of red is most certainly _un_familiar. I step out to take a closer look and see that the steep drop-offs of this place, once glowing with an eerie and beautiful purple, are now churning with molten lava; it's right up to the side of the cliff at some parts of the path. Needless to say, this place is like the inside of an oven now. A great deal of the cavern's roof is also missing… could this have been what happened when I pulled the last needle, when the Dragon of Darkness supposedly rose from the island's depths? This place is even more dangerous than before… at least I could use my PSI to survive if I fell from a great height. That safety net is gone now… I'll make sure not to spend any more time than I have to here…

A terrible thought suddenly crosses my mind; _how do I get back_!? The transportation system can send people _to_ other dimensions, but I don't know if it can bring people _back_… in my panic I turn around to look at the elevator that I was transported into, and see a white, pulsating rift there… that must be the way back. I breathe a huge sigh of relief… what was I thinking, transporting somewhere without knowing whether or not I could go back the way I came? That could've been disastrous…

Trying not to dwell on what could've been, I decide to start running down the cavern path. Some of the magma has splashed up to some points of the path, forcing me to weave around them… this might explain why the transportation system couldn't warp me deeper into the cavern; a messed-up transportation could've dropped me right into a puddle of red, flaming death. I'd gladly risk the extra traveling time over that… there is a bright side, though; the monsters that were littering this cave in the past are gone. Except for the puddles and the sweltering heat, the run to the place where I pulled the last needle looks like it'll go unimpeded. That's perfect; this trip should take a lot less time without having to fight my way there. In fact, because of that, I make sure to go just a little slow so that I don't trip. Memories come back to me as I go on, and none of them good… I come by the corner in the path where I found my father battered and beaten… where he told me about the Masked Man. Told me that he was my brother. He was overjoyed that he'd finally found our long, lost family member after three years, but I still don't know whether or not he realized what it meant… that we would eventually have to fight him to save our world… and a fat lot of good _that_ did.

As I go on, I notice something odd about the hot spring that was in this cavern… or more precisely, that it's _still there_. With time to spare, I decide to take a look at it. I would've expected that its water would've evaporated with the heat of the magma heating it up, but upon closer inspection, the water isn't even bubbling. I stick my hand in the spring to test its temperature… it's just like a hot spring should be: warm, but not too warm. I knew the water of Nowhere Island's hot springs wasn't natural, it's ability to heal almost any injury by simply bathing in it was proof of that… but I wasn't expecting it to resist the heat of the magma like this. I make a mental note to check the island's other hot springs to see if they survived…

But that's for later. Right now I have a job to do. I continue my way down the winding path, still being careful to avoid being melted… God, it's really hot in here. I'm almost tempted to go back and take a dip in the hot spring; I'm not even joking, _that_ would be cooler than this place is right now. As I continue on, I come across a relic of old… a large, steel ball, with a pink pig's nose emblem; the symbol of Porky's Pigmask Army. The ball has a hatch that appears to have been forced open… I know what this is: The Absolutely Safe Capsule, the contraption that Porky crawled into after me and my friends had him on the ropes in our fight… it was supposed to be indestructible. Though seeing it open isn't totally surprising… Ness and I _did_ fight him during the Subspace Emissary incident, twice in fact. It reminds me that I still need to figure out how it was opened… but again, that's a mystery for another day.

My destination lay only a few paces past this relic of old: this circular platform at the end of the path, with a tiny hole in the middle… where the final needle was before I pulled it. I thought this nightmare would've ended when I did… but it had only just begun. This is where I fought Claus… or rather, where _he_ fought _me_, since I refused to attack him, finally knowing who he really was… my Franklin Badge protected me from his lightning, and my father took the full force of his first PK Love… but I had to take everything else head-on. During that time, I tried my absolute hardest in pleading with him to remember who he was… it was only thanks to a miracle, my mother's intervention from beyond the grave, that he was able to fight Porky's control. But in the end, he sacrificed himself with one, final redirected blast of lightning… to this day, I still don't know exactly why he did it. I had no time to grieve for him, as I had to pull the final needle…

That's when I would up in Master Hand's world and joined Super Smash Brothers, fought against the Subspace Emissary, and helped them protect the many dimensions… which eventually led me to find the truth of what happened to Nowhere Island after I pulled the needle, where I lost my sanity, and when Shadow took an interest in me shortly after… all leading back here. Only now does the magnitude of everything I've been through up to this point finally sink in… it mystifies me how I've survived it all, and frightens me to know that it's not over yet.

Getting back to the matter at hand, my eyes look over the area… what I see isn't totally surprising, but still unnerving. Skeletons… the skeletons of my friends and family. Kumatora, Boney, Duster, my father… there are only two that are missing from this place. The first, obviously, is me… I was whisked away into Master Hand's world before whatever manner of disaster befell this island took effect. The second missing skeleton, however, is the one that fills my heart with a deep, cold terror…

Claus' skeleton is not here.

I fall to my knees as my worst fears have been confirmed. The villain terrorizing Planet Magica… the description that fits him so well… this was proof. All that remained was the molten slag of his helmet that he cast away. This was the undeniable proof that Claus, the Masked Man, has risen from the grave. But _how_? How was he revived? And why attack Magica, a place that holds no significance to him at all? And how did he even _get_ to Magica, a planet in a totally different dimension, in the first place?

The only logical explanation that jumps right out at me was that Shadow had a hand in it, another ploy to drive my mind deeper into insanity. I can feel rage welling up in me… if this is true, then I swear… he'll pay. When my brother returned to normal, he wanted nothing more than for his suffering to end… if Shadow disturbed this, I will make him pay for it, with his life if I must. But first, there was the matter of stopping Claus himself… Shadow has experience with machines, so he no doubt repaired Claus and made him stronger than before. If I'm to stand any chance against him, I need the Franklin Badge. It wasn't with me when I was whisked away from this world before, so it should still be here…

But as my eyes fall to my feet, my hope drops to almost zero percent. I see charred metal shards… not spaced apart very much, forming the very familiar shape and emblem of the Franklin Badge. Of course… Claus and probably Shadow knew that the badge was his weakness, so they obviously destroyed it. This isn't good… there's no easy way to stop him now.

As I scan the ground beside the badge's remnants, however, I see another familiar item buried underneath the ashes… a shining, golden lance of sorts. The Mystical Stick… my weapon. I often wonder why I called it a stick… maybe I should go with Mystical Staff, it sounds cooler anyway. I pick up my old armament, get back onto my feet and give it a few practice swings… I haven't lost my feel for this weapon after all this time, and just holding it rejuvenates some of my fighting spirit… it was true, even with this weapon, I would still be horribly disadvantaged without the Franklin Badge… but that's no reason to give up. I'll simply have to think of another way to stop Claus. Hoisting the Mystical "Staff" over my shoulder, I start on my way back…

"_Foolish…"_

A shiver crawls up my spine, causing me to drop my staff. That mental voice… dear God no. Not him. Not _now_! I can see him in the distance… hovering towards me casually but quickly. That unmistakable cat-like form, creamy white and purple flesh glistening in the light of the magma below. Mewtwo… he must've recalled the records from the transportation system, _and_ he could've easily sensed my presence as soon as I landed in Mute City. "You… followed… me…" I rasp out, unable to hide my fear… there was only one reason he could be here.

"_You left the protection of your friends and an entire army… did you even understand the risk, or have you finally decided to accept your fate?"_ he asks me, drawing ever closer.

This was not good… why did he have to appear _now_!? Why now, when my time was limited and the lives of my friends were at risk!? "M-Mewtwo, listen to me! The other Smashers are in danger! I need to get back to--"

"_Their safety should be the least of your concerns right now."_ he interrupts, landing in front of me. I take a step back in caution. _"After all, you overheard my conversation with Master Hand. You know what I must do."_

He starts walking towards me, and I begin walking backwards… I can feel his power building up… "B-but they'll be killed! They have no idea what they're facing! I need to help them!" I stumble on a loose piece of ground… the hole where the needle was. I fall backward onto my bottom, not crawling backwards on my hands and feet.

"_I will not risk you being alive any longer."_ Mewtwo says, apparently oblivious to my pleas. _"Shadow must be stopped at any cost."_

"But what about the other Smashers!? Don't you even care what happens to them!?" I wail before my left hand suddenly can't find anything to crawl on… I look back in horror to see that I've moved to the edge of the cliff. I look back up at Mewtwo, terror filling my heart.

"_As a matter of fact, no, I don't."_ he replies before stopping in front of me… he answered my question with no hesitation, no change in his voice… _"Some must live and some must die. 'Caring' for my comrades, as you put it, only makes it harder to accept that simple fact. Besides, if Shadow's plan comes to fruition, a great deal more lives than that of the Smashers will be lost."_ His eyes narrow at me, beginning to glow blue. _"I will do what must be done. Nothing more, nothing less. A few lost Smashers are a small price to pay."_

I can only look up at him with my jaw dropped… I can't believe what I just heard. With no change in his demeanor and no hesitation whatsoever… he just literally told me that friendship and comrades mean _nothing_ to him. "M… Mewtwo… I… I can't believe you… I… I _looked up to you_… I _trusted you_…!" The relentless harshness of his words has brought tears to my eyes… Mewtwo was like an idol to me, with power, intelligence and bravery to figure his way out of any situation… but I never knew… he was so _heartless_… how could I have even _begun_ to consider someone like this my idol, let along my _friend_? He cares nothing about the lives and feelings of others… "You… only care about yourself… you never cared about us at all… did you…?" I feel a deep, dark hatred awakening in my heart…

He holds his three-fingered palm out at me. _"Do you have any last requests?"_

So cold and unrelenting… what I said merely went through one of Mewtwo's ears and out the other. He really was intent on killing me… he didn't care about the other Smashers. He didn't care about the threat that could be the end of them, and maybe even him. He only thinks about stopping Shadow, for whatever selfish reasons he has… and then he has the gall to ask if I have a _last request_ that he probably won't even give a second thought to? I can no longer contain my rage. For someone this heartless, this vile… I have only one request. "Burn to ashes."

Normally I say the name of the PSI attack I use… but it isn't necessary, just to help me concentrate. But with anger burning within me and the intense heat of the surrounding magma, mentally conjuring a flame takes almost no effort at all, and thus Mewtwo has no time to react when I thrust my palm forward. In a blast of intense PK Fire, the Pokéclone is sent flying backward. But I don't stop with just that, I continue shooting out pryokinetic flames, as many blasts as I can manage. Even as I get back onto my feet I don't stop… I won't let the other Smashers die. I won't let Mewtwo kill me… for someone so inconsiderate of the lives of others, so willing to kill for his own selfish purposes, _I will show no mercy_!

My vicious onslaught of fire stops only when I see the target swiftly get out of the way, holding a ball of black, crackling energy in its hand. The attack is called "Shadow Ball" if I remember correctly, and it's much more powerful in real life than in the arena. Keeping in mind that I have no ground to move to either behind or beside me, and not sure if my PK Magnet can absorb it, my only option is to go forward. The ball is thrown at me; also unlike in the arena, it's going on a straight trajectory. Using this to my advantage, I jump up with as much as a forward arc as possible, making my way over the ball and rolling on the ground to my feet. I've landed in front of my dropped staff, which I quickly pick up and ready with both hands. Just in time too, as the Shadow Ball impacts the ground behind me with such force that its shockwave flings me forward. This time I can't roll, and I slide along the ground on my stomach; wearing a shirt doesn't help to dull the pain, but it could easily have been a lot worse. Keeping this in mind, I get back to my feet and look at my opponent, still hovering in the air.

"_Do you actually mean to challenge me?"_ Mewtwo speaks in my mind, sounding quite smug. I don't quite understand where his confidence is coming from now that I can plainly see the numerous burn marks on his chest, but with a sudden blue glow emanating from his body, the wounds vanish as quickly as I had dealt them. Another of Mewtwo's abilities, aptly named "Recover." This Pokéclone has a good number of attacks that aren't seen in the arena…

But that's no reason for me to give up. Mewtwo can't be invincible… no one is truly invincible, this I learned when I faced off against my seemingly-unbeatable brother. I only hope I can find his weakness, if not for my sake, than for that of my friends… I will not back down. "I'm through running from you, Mewtwo!" I answer him, spinning my staff around and pointing it at him. "I won't let my friends die just for your selfish reasons!"

"_You don't even know what my reasons are. You have no right to judge them."_ he retorts, charging up another Shadow Ball and hurling it at me. This time I have a little more courage and try PK Magnet, holding the psychokinetic shield out and stepping out to the side in case I'm wrong… but it works; the ball of energy gets caught in the energy field, ready to return to sender. At least until the ball explodes while inside the PK Magnet, breaching it. This time I'm much closer to the explosion; I'm sent hurtling skyward, the shockwave succeeding in knocking the wind out of me, but all-in-all it wasn't too damaging. I flip upright using my PSI as soon as I can, finding myself on the same height level that Mewtwo is, which he tries to take advantage of; he flies at me, but instead of a psychic attack, he flips upside down and smashes his tail into my skull. This rare physical attack from the Pokéclone caught me by complete surprise. I was sent rocketing down to the wide open space where I fought Porky in the past; I managed to flip back to my feet before landing, though the force from it really shook my legs.

I collapse to one knee from the shock, but I have no time to let it wear off; Mewtwo is descending on me fast. I raise my staff in defense, and I catch his hand with it, which is glowing with purple energy. _This_ is a more familiar attack that he uses in exhibition matches, but I'm starting to wonder why he isn't using psychic attacks. If he'd at least use _one_, I could absorb it with PK Magnet… but he probably knows that… using all physical attacks would get him slaughtered in the arena, but out here he can fly and use Recover, among other things. Supposedly he was created for fighting, and he has both the power and intelligence to do that well.

I have little time to ponder this as another fist wrapped in purple energy comes for my stomach, which I promptly block with my staff. I have to bring it up higher to stop another tail thrashing, then to the side to stop his foot. Mewtwo is deceptively fast; if I just sit here, eventually his attacks will get through and rip me apart. Not wanting to get caught by another Shadow Ball, I lunge forward with my shoulder and tackle him away, then follow up with a whack from my staff. He has the foresight to jump back however, making the attack leave only a superficial cut on his stomach. I can't get out of the way out his counter-attack, a Shadow Ball at point-blank range. This time I experience the full force of it; it's like getting hit by a cannonball, and I fly back as such. The black energy carries me along the air until it explodes on its own, sending me back even further, and making me take the whole explosion. It's much more painfu1 when it actually connects with the intended target…

I bounce off of the ground, but I panic when I realize my momentum isn't stopping; I quickly jam my staff into the ground before I fall into the magma below, then clutch my stomach in pain. There's now a big hole in my shirt where my chest is, and my chest itself is beet red and has bits of skin peeled off… if there had been any more punch in that attack, I could've been blown to bits. Goddamn, it hurts… and it only hurts more as I try to move. Some of my bones must've been broken… not good. Maybe staying to fight Mewtwo wasn't such a good idea, maybe I should've just bolted for the exit… no, then I'd just be a walking target. My only choice is to stay and fight… but how can I win against him!?

My hand still on my badly-aching chest, I try to focus and use PK Healing on it… but Mewtwo doesn't give me the chance, appearing right in front of me with his "Teleport" ability, with another fist sheathed in dark energy. As agonizing as it is, I force myself to jump out of the way, gritting my teeth and biting back the pain as my body screams in protest. I'll never be able to fix this wound with him hounding me… I need to get some breathing room! I take my hand off my chest, point my palm at Mewtwo and rasp out the words no one on my wrong side wants to hear…

"PK Love!" A wave of green light and hexagons bursts out of my hand, and now Mewtwo feels _my_ ultimate attack at point-blank. He is sent flying straight backward… though as damaging as my trademark PSI is, I know he'll just use Recover to fix the damage. But at least he's off my back for a crucial moment, which I too use to heal the horribly-stinging wounds from the Shadow Ball. "PK Healing…" I mutter, clasping my free hand back onto my chest to let my PSI do its work. Almost instantly I feel relief, though I wince at the sound of my own bones cracking back into place…

Damn it, this is going nowhere. Both Mewtwo and I can heal the damage we take in a heartbeat… but the major difference is that my powers are much more limited than his. And since he's refraining from using his psychic powers, I'll probably exhaust my mind way before he does… I need to end this fast. I need to inflict a mortal wound that he can't heal… but how…

I don't have time to think about it, as Mewtwo has already healed, flew up from the cliff he spilled off of and sent another Shadow Ball at me. I know by now that it's better to just get as far away from these as possible and jump back, but the shockwave still sends me back a couple of feet. I've slid along the ground, almost off of the cliff, causing my gaze to shift to the dangerously-close magma below… that's when I realize the answer to defeating Mewtwo has been all around me; drop him off the cliff. No amount of healing could save him from a dunk in molten lava…

But as I get back to my feet and see Mewtwo hovering towards me, looking very cross, I see the obvious flaw in my plan, namely that he's… well, _hovering_. He can fly around at will using his psychic powers. That meant that the only way to defeat him was to first exhaust him, _then_ drop him… and just after I ruled out beating him in a straight fight. Looks like I don't have a choice, though… but I can't use my PSI, if _my_ mind is exhausted, I'll be a sitting duck. I'm starting to see that Mewtwo's strategy to use his psychic power only for healing and flight is actually very good… while I can't really _fly_ – just use my PSI to jump really high – I can still conserve it just for healing while attacking Mewtwo physically. Hopefully I can wear him down before he does me… it's my only chance.

I ready my staff and let out a war cry before I charge at the approaching Pokéclone, who mimics the action with his fist surging with dark energy. We meet a few feet past where the hot spring is, now caught in a pseudo-deadlock with his fist and my weapon. Rather than waiting for him to bring his tail around to smack me again, I take the initiative and step back, making him stagger forward since he now has nothing to direct his force at. I ram my foot into his stomach – at least I think it's his stomach – then another into his abs, then deliver a roundhouse kick straight to his face while he's bent down to make him stumble backward. While he's stunned I raise my spear up high, jump into the air and bring it down on him, but he crosses his arms and catches the shaft of it, leaving me vulnerable. He quickly uncrosses his arms and plows his hands into my chest, knocking the wind out of me for what I think is the third time so far, and sending me flying backward _yet again_. Is he trying to knock me into the lava, too? I flip upright before landing and skid to a stop, holding my staff at the ready.

Mewtwo doesn't lunge at me this time, but instead he talks. _"You had such potential… it really is a shame that you have to die."_ he laments.

I growl before I retort, "We'll see who dies, you overgrown cat!" I charge at him again, this time using a bit of PSI to boost my feet along the ground faster. Unfortunately though, this gives me no time to react to the fact that he _isn't moving_ to dodge the incoming sharp end of my staff. I know something's wrong about this, but I can't do anything about it now but continue with the attack. I stab forward, aiming at his chest…

Only to see it bounce away and out of my hand when some kind of barrier materializes out of nowhere around Mewtwo. Oh no… I totally forgot about that. Mewtwo uses his psychic powers to create a barrier to repel attacks… he _always_ does that, except for when I was attacking him… he was intentionally letting me hit him so that I'd slip up like this. Now I'm unarmed and completely vulnerable… and he doesn't waste the chance. An energy-covered hand comes down on my right shoulder, and I can feel it slice down my body right down to my left hip as if he were cutting me with a sword. I cry out in agony… it HURTS! I've never had a wound this painful before… Mewtwo then spins around and hits me with his tail, right in the middle of the wound tract and knocking me off my feet… I fall into a liquid… no, have I fallen into the lava!?

Wait… if I'd fallen into the lava, it would hurt to much for me to even think about it… the only other liquid here is contained in the hot spring… I must've fallen into that… but the water isn't green-ish… it's turning red… the blood from the huge gash on my body is turning the water red… God… my head… it's like… it's just like… three years ago… when my mother was killed by the Mecha Drago, when her blood was spilled into the river that I was dunked under…

I can feel my mind beginning to rip again… the blood, the memories… the _pain_… the taste of blood in my mouth… it's too much… I can't… I can't take it… why? Why did Mewtwo do this to me? Why does he want me to die… why is he just letting me bleed to death… why… why… why doesn't _he_ bleed to death…? Why hasn't _he_ been made to pay for his selfishness? Why… why does someone like him still _live_!? I'm not going to let him get away with this… I'm going to make him bleed… I'm going to slice him open until all of his blood has drained out, and send him to hell where he belongs…

Through the reddened water, Mewtwo is staring down at me, but not doing anything… he must not know that this hot spring water isn't affected by the magma. The pain along my body is becoming a memory… his ignorance will be his undoing… faster than he can react, I rise out of the water and bring my free hand right around his neck. His surprised gag feels so good to hear… it feels good to hear him to be making actual grunts of pain… I wonder if I should choke him like the scum he is, or just slice into him with my staff right now… so many ways to kill, and just imagining them makes me laugh… "You forgot about home-field advantage, idiot!" I cackle.

It amuses and excites me when the next emotions I feel from Mewtwo are panic and fright… amazing since he's usually always so calm and composed. This tells me that he's scared… he's scared of me… just knowing that starts me laughing louder and strengthening my grip on his scrawny neck. He doesn't seem to share my growing enthusiasm, though; he sets off his psychic barrier again, blowing me off of him and back into the hot spring. This time he doesn't wait around to see if I get cooked. He charges up another Shadow Ball, but I react faster than he does; I point my palm at him and, ignoring the water filling my mouth as I speak, unleash another wave of PK Love. The bloodied water erupts as my power bursts out of it and collides with him detonating his Shadow Ball prematurely and taking him into the air with it.

I get back out of the water and onto dry land, laughing out loud as I prepare my next attack. The moment Mewtwo comes out of the stream of PK Love and into my view, I point my hand at him and shout, "PK THUNDER!" Not even he can avoid a bolt of lightning once it's unleashed; I cackle with delight as I see him get electrocuted. When he falls down enough, I jump up into the air using my PSI and try once again to bring my staff down on him, but he vanishes. He teleported again… where is he? I try to sense him… while he can teleport far, he can't go far enough to avoid being tracked. I catch him in mid-air near me just in time to see another of his Shadow Balls flying at me. I'm already in mid-air, so since I can't change my direction, I prepare a "PK Magnet!" I catch the ball, but this time I waste no time throwing it back before explodes. Seeing him get blasted by his own attack makes me roar with gleeful laughter. I wonder if he exploded? I wait for the smoke to clear so I can see the result… but as a result I fail to sense him coming from behind and slapping me downward with his tail.

I'm forcefully made to look down as I see that I'm not heading for land this time… I'm falling straight into the lava! _No_! Not yet! I want to see him _bleed_! I want to _kill him_! I'm near a cliff, but I won't land on it… well, I guess it's a good thing I pick up this staff then. I jam it into the side of the cliff as I fall past it, stopping my rapid descent. I then fling myself back up, only to see Mewtwo coming down at me. I feel his power building up… he's going to use his psychic barrier to push me down. Not this time! I use one of my lesser-known PSI abilities, known as PK Offense Up, to strengthen my muscles before I bring the staff up at him. It collides with his barrier as expected, but this time _he's_ the one that gets bounced away, and I land safely on the ground.

By now I'm getting _seriously_ annoyed that Mewtwo won't fight me fair. "Get down here, you coward! Why don't we see what _your_ blood looks like!" I taunt him before descending into mad laughter once again… just imaging this selfish bastard bleeding to death at my feet is driving me into ecstasy. But suddenly, my body starts to feel constricted… I can clearly sense Mewtwo using his power. His last attack, "Confusion." Quite simply it's the ability to move things with your mind, and judging from the pain surging through my body, he's using this power to try and crush me. He knows using psychic power against me is a bad idea… he's getting desperate. But if he'd been paying attention, he should know this isn't going to work. "DEFENSE UP!" I shout again, using the polar opposite of Offense Up to protect myself against his powers. I can feel his mental grip strengthen in desperation, but it doesn't do much…

I've waited long enough; I'm going to kill him _now_! I jump up into the air, and he brings up his barrier like usual, but a downward swing with my staff sends him careening downward to the edge of the cliff. As I start to fall as well, I point my staff down at him. Mewtwo once again tries to use his barrier to bounce me away, but my increase in strength from Offense Up doesn't make me bounce off; I finally get the staff _through_ the troublesome shield, popping it like a bubble and leaving Mewtwo dazed and vulnerable.

Excitement fills me as I realize that this is my chance… now's my chance to spill his rotten guts out! I use the sharp end of my staff like a spear, slashing a good gash along the Pokéclone's chest. He staggers backward, and I smash him on the head with the blunt end to bring him down to the ground on his back. No longer can I keep thinking rationally, my bloodlust is starting to peak… I need to finish him _now_! A savage glee adorns my face as I stab the spear downwards, getting it right through his chest. I pull it out and descend completely into madness as I start slamming my weapon down on him. I laugh uncontrollably as I hack and slash him repeatedly with all my might, the blood quickly starting to pool around him… it's red, interestingly enough… I'm starting to hear him rasp out in pain… despite all his effort, he can't suppress the groans of agony. I try not to leave any partof his freakish body untouched… his arms, his legs, his torso and even his tail are lined with gashes and convulsing violently with every strike. I eventually notice an unscathed portion of his chest, and I jam the spear into it, twisting it harshly… I laugh loud as I see his face visibly contort in pain.

I bend down to him, my face just inches away from his. "You tried to kill me… you were going to let my friends die… _no one hurts my friends!_ Now take your just deserts, _freak_!" I say, laughing before pulling my staff out and smashing into his cranium for good measure, before then using it as a sort of shovel to scoop him over the side of the cliff. I watch with a wide, insane grin as I see him fall, and descend into complete laughter again when I see his body fall into the lava. Bastard… that's what you get for trying to kill me! My mad laughter lasts for a good while as I relish in my victory… I curl up on the ground trying to keep my sides from splitting, feeling his blood against my skin… I guess lost my shirt due to Mewtwo's attacks… oh well…

When I eventually calm down, the weight of what I've just done sets in… I… I beat Mewtwo… I _killed_ Mewtwo, one of the strongest members of Super Smash Brothers… I… I don't quite understand it. I've destroyed yet another life, I should feel horrible… but I don't feel any sorrow or any remorse… I feel… gratified. I feel… relieved. Mewtwo wanted to kill me… not because he was under Giygas' control, not because he was allied with Shadow… he just wanted to kill me for his own selfish reasons, not caring about what happened to the others… I destroy another innocent life. I destroyed a danger to both myself and my friends… and I feel happy… it's a very strange feeling, to have killed someone and not feel sorry about it…

But that's when I realize that the danger isn't over yet. In having to deal with Mewtwo, I almost completely forgot about my friends… I have to get my priorities straight; I can ponder my state of mind later. Right now, my friends are in danger… I need to get back to my world while my adrenaline is still rushing. Needless to say, with both my body and mind quickly descending into exhaustion and God's only knows how much wasted time, I hauled ass back to the trap elevator. There's no reason the exit portal shouldn't be there, since Mewtwo needed a way out… I nearly fell into the lava puddles once or twice, but I managed to get all the way back. And thankfully the portal _is_ still there, so I waste no time jumping into it…

* * *

**A/N:** Let me tell you, writing fight scenes is HARD. ESPECIALLY when one of the combatants is a Pokémon; avid fans of the series probably would've chastised me if I gave Mewtwo more than four attacks.

Not only that, but it's made more difficult by the fact that fighting isn't the main point of the story; trying to keep the drama going with the combat is difficult. I hope I did a good job... R&R!


	15. Chapter 14: Disaster

**A/N:** Time for the next chapter, folks. Mewtwo might be out of the picture, but Lucas' problems are a far cry from being solved...

* * *

_Chapter 14: Disaster_

Thunder crashes around in the black clouds above the torn-off roof, the preceding lightning only source of light other than the brightly-burning flames… the interior of the once incredible structure that was the Royal Palace of Magica now looked more like a blast zone, or at least the hallway I'm running down does. There's nowhere I can look where I can't see sparks, ashes, scorch marks and slash marks at the same time; they litter every inch of the floor, walls and whatever is left of the ceiling. It was, without a doubt, the work of the Masked Man… my brother… why? Why would Claus do this? Was there anyone who survived his rampage in this palace?

I feel something grab my leg, and I jerk to look at it. It's… Ness… his body is missing both an arm and a leg, both wounds oozing out blood, which his clothing is covered in… his skin is totally pale, his expression towards me ghastly. "Why…? Why didn't you help us…?" he rasps out. His hand clamps down on my ankle hard, painfully… I jump back in alarm, and to my shock and disgust, the remaining arm rips off. I frantically pull the severed limb off of me and throw it away, looking back to my best friend bleeding to death and screaming in pain at my feet… I can feel my stomach churning…

"You left us all to die…" I spin around on my heel to see Paula slouched against the soot-covered wall, a chunk ripped out of both the left side of her dress and her body, and the right side of her face missing…

"I… I-I…" I can't form a coherent response… my body is shaking, and I feel like I'm going to throw up… "I… I didn't mean…"

An ear-shattering scream echoes from further down the hall, and I see her… Princia, the one who saved my life… impaled on that unmistakable weapon, a yellow sword crackling with the power of electricity… and Claus is holding it, donned in the complete uniform of the Masked Man. He stands above her slouching form, and her head turns to me just before he kicks her off of the blade…

I… I can't move… I'm seeing all of my friends dying around me… I… I'm too scared to move… I can feel my heart almost rip in half… "Wh… why…?" I ask.

He says nothing as he looks over to me, a ghastly smile adorning his face… he starts swinging his sword around, first down to his right, then straight above him, and then right at me… I know what's coming, but I can't move… a bolt of lightning blasts forth from the tip of his blade, straight at me…

--------------------

I expect to scream from pain, but as I rise up into a sitting position, it just becomes a scream of terror… I felt the shock, but… it wasn't bad… I can also feel a pair of arms wrapped tightly around me upper chest and head, which I can clearly feel because my shirt is missing, but they quickly let go when that shock hits. "Ow! What in the world!?"

I recognize that voice… I look up at the one who was holding me, and it turns out to be Jody Summer. "J… Jody? Wh-what…?" I stutter out over ragged breaths, confused as to what she's doing here… I look around and find that I'm not at Magica anymore, but a bland, steel bedroom with nothing but the usual necessities… I mentally curse; I've had another nightmare. Well, that explains the minor electrocution… a small PK Thunder must've went off in my sleep. Unfortunately, this time there was a witness – and victim – to find out about the latest stage of my insomnia, and she seemed quite confused and irritated by it. "I… I'm sorry… I couldn't help it…" I apologize. It's by now that I fully come to my senses, and remember what I have to do… oh crap. I'm supposed to be getting back to Magica! "Wait, where are we!?" I demand.

"Relax, we're heading back to Magica right now." Jody explains. "You're on a Federation starship… the fastest one we could get. We should be there with time to spare." When I hear this, I breathe a sigh of relief and try to relax myself… going to Jody when I first arrived back at Mute City seems to have been a wise decision. The commander knows how to prioritize. "We knew we had to get you back there, so we tended to your wounds here. Are you feeling any better?"

I nod and reply, "Yes, thank you…" Honestly I don't know the difference, it's not as if I can tell whether I'm injured or not while I'm asleep or unconscious… but there's no need to be rude to her. "Why aren't we using the Magican transport I came back in?"

"It was destroyed." Jody replies a bit nonchalantly. "Shortly after you went through the transportation system, Mewtwo showed up and went berserk. We couldn't stop him… we tried to get through the system and help you, but he locked it somehow after he went through… we thought you were a goner until you came back through, half-covered in blood…" Well, that answers a question I hadn't thought to ask: how I wound up unconscious and into my little nightmare world to begin with… I must've conked out when I went through the vortex to get back to Mute City. Recalling that is what causes the preceding events to come back to me as well… not only did I lose my shirt there because Mewtwo tore it up, but I also killed said Pokéclone… "But if you survived, then what happened to Mewtwo?"

I bite my lip; I was hoping she wouldn't ask me that… "…He's dead…" I state blankly.

Understandably, she seems quite shocked; her eyes widen at me at first, then she looks to her feet after putting two-and-two together. "I see…"

I mimic her physical gesture, becoming immersed in the events of yesterday… "I don't know how to feel about it…" I tell her. "He would've killed me if I didn't kill him first… but, on the other hand… I've killed again… and I don't feel bad about it… I don't know why…" I look back up at her, and she looks quite concerned. "Am I… getting worse?"

I can tell that she's trying to think of something to say, something to comfort me… but she closes her eyes and sighs in defeat. "I don't know what to tell you, Lucas… I'm not a psychiatrist…" she replies… I'm not sure if she was trying to be funny or not. She looks at me again and says, "Though I seriously think you should go and see one after we're done on Magica." Well, I guess she wasn't joking after all… though getting my mind evaluated doesn't seem like such a bad idea. I probably would've done it earlier if I weren't so preoccupied… "Speaking of which…" she says to get my attention, "Did you find out who we're after?"

I nod quickly; looks like the serious conversation is about to begin. "Yeah… it's my brother…"

"_Brother_!?" Jody exclaims, so loud it hurts my ears. "You have a brother!?"

"Yes, I do…" I say a little irritably. I knew she'd react like that… she probably thinks he's just as bad as I am… well, she might be right. "His name is Claus. He was turned into a combat robot when we were both nine years old… he… he's supposed to be dead…"

I can't keep myself from choking up at the memory, though Jody is a little less sentimental. "_Supposed_ to be?" she asks.

I fight back my tears and nod. "I was there… he… died in my arms…"

Now that Jody has an indication of how touchy this subject really is, she decides to tread a little lighter. "I see… and you're still sure it's him?"

"His body wasn't there…" I answer.

Despite that obvious proof, Jody still didn't seem totally convinced. "But why attack Magica?"

I shake my head this time, wondering that myself. "I don't know… but the King himself gave me a description that fits him to the letter. There's no one else it could be."

After telling Jody that, her eyebrow raises. "Well then, tell me what we're up against. What does he look like? What can he do?"

I breathe a heavy sigh before I answer her. "He has a cannon for a right arm, an electrically-charged sword and a jet pack… and he can use PSI, like me…" I hesitate before I describe the real threat. "And lightning. He can control lightning… if it doesn't kill you, it'll knock you out… he's really, really strong…"

She takes a moment to absorb this information, and concern flickers in her eyes… she's finally realizing the scope of this. "And… how do we stop him?"

Another question I was hoping she wouldn't ask, but I have to tell her anyway… otherwise she could send herself and her men to their graves. I look down in sorrow. "When I fought him, I had a special badge that bounced his lightning back at him… but now it's destroyed…" I look back up at her. "He always uses lightning first in a fight. If you can't get past that…"

I stop myself… I don't want to say it, and I don't think it needs to be said for her to get the point. "I… understand…" she says slowly. "We don't have any way of preparing for something like that… it sounds like we should avoid him if we see him."

Unfortunately she's right, now that I think about it… without the Franklin Badge or some other way to deflect Claus' lightning, which Jody just said we don't have, trying to fight him would be suicide. "That's why I have to get back to Magica as soon as possible. The other Smashers don't know what they're facing… they could be killed." I tell her.

Her eyebrow regains its arch for that moment. "A whole group of Smashers beaten by one man? Surely you have more confidence in them than _that_…"

As much as I wished I knew they'd survive an encounter with Claus, I can't think of how they'd pull it off. "I wish I did… but they don't know him like I do. And frankly… neither do you."

She looked like she was going to retort, but keeps her mouth shut because it's the truth. She's never met Claus before, thus she has no idea what kind of destruction he's capable of, and neither do the Smashers at Magica. I only hope we can get there fast enough to warn them… before my nightmare becomes reality…

--------------------

While we were headed to Planet Magica, Jody had briefed a couple squads of Federation troopers on what I'd told her and came up with a plan. We were supposed to brief the King of Magica and the Smashers there about the impending danger, and hopefully get everyone to a safe place so that Claus wouldn't take any more lives. It _sounds_ fairly simple… maybe I'm just paranoid, but my gut tells me that it isn't going to be that easy. Something bad will happen if things stay true to form… the clock hung up on the wall seems intent on proving me wrong though, as it reads 9:30 PM. There's still half an hour before Claus strikes again if he doesn't deviate from his pattern…

My eyes are practically glued to the window of my room, watching as we enter Magica's atmosphere, and I can immediately see that my gut instincts were right once again… one of the floating city sections of the desert planet has spoke billowing out of the top of its weather dome. Why am I surprised? Even when he was acting under his own will, Claus had a habit of jumping the gun…

Fond childhood memories are cast aside as panic sets in, once I can make out which city section is on fire… the palace. The entire West side of the Magican Royal Palace is on fire, pumping out smoke at an unbelievable rate. A deep, cold fear awakens in my heart as I recall my nightmare, eerily similar to the sight I'm seeing now… the closer the Federation ship moves to the palace's floating platform, the more damage I can see… I hadn't seen the Royal Palace from such a great view before; it looks a lot like the Taj Mahal or whatever that structure is called, but bigger, gold-coloured and with more towers… it would've been such an amazing sight if it weren't burning to the ground before my very eyes, riddled with holes and signs of blast damage. And my friends were in there… maybe even fighting Claus right now… we need to hurry.

The palace landing pad and the entrance from there were on the safer East wing fortunately, so after the ship navigates through the pillar of smoke, we land there and arm ourselves. Jody kept my Mystical Staff for me – and had the foresight to wash the blood off of it – so I carry that instead of a gun, having it slung over my shoulder. The cold metal of it feels odd against my bare shoulders, but since none of the Federation trooper's clothing fits me, I'll simply try to ignore it.

"Alright Lucas, lead the way…" Jody orders me, her pistol already in her hand, and the twelve troopers behind her armed and ready for combat. My job was to lead them around the palace to the guest rooms where the Smashers were, and where the throne room is… and after that – and this was decided after we saw the damage – we search the palace for survivors. Again, it _sounds_ simple, but our previous plan literally went up in smoke…

Breathing a heavy sigh to prepare myself, I lead Jody and her troop into the palace. So far the familiar pathways that I took last time I was in the palace are unscathed… the power is out and there are a few knocked-down vases, but since there's virtually no damage other than that, I suppose they fell down due to explosion tremors. When we get to the part of the hall that splits between the throne room and the guest rooms, our group of fourteen splits into two groups of seven. Jody and I are in the group headed for the guest rooms, and I can only hope the Smashers did the smart thing and hid in there…

When we get to the hallway with the guest rooms, I'm quite relieved to see that it's totally intact as well. Jody orders some troopers to search the hallway and take positions to guard the paths should something go wrong, while I pound on the door to Ness and Toon's room. "Ness! Toon! Are you in there!?" I call out.

"Lucas!?" I hear a reply from the other side of the door, but it wasn't either of their voices… the door flies open, and instead Zelda is standing on the other side of it. Quickly and completely ignorant of my weapon, she embraces me with genuine concern. "Where have you been!? We've all be worried sick about you!"

Dang, her grip is tight… I fight out of her hug to prevent myself from suffocating. "I'll explain later, Miss Zelda! Where are the others!?" I ask her.

"Ness, Paula and Toon Link are in here with me." Zelda replies, prompting the three children to come into view in the next room… and thankfully, unlike in my nightmare, they're totally fine. Ness and Toon seem relieved to see me, but Paula is still glaring at me intensely… whatever, what she's thinking isn't the issue right now. "I'm taking care of them while Link is searching for the murderer."

"_What_!?" I yell; I knew these moments of relief were going to be short-lived. Why does Link always have to be a hero? "We've gotta find him, he's in _big_ trouble!"

"What? What do you mean!?" Zelda asks, her anxiousness and concern returning.

But before I can answer her question, a streak of pink tackles me right into the wall on the other side of the hallway, getting the attention of the troopers. Paula is pinning me to the wall… rather painfully, I might add. Did she use Offense Up or something? "Yes… explain why you left the planet and stuck us with this monster!" She says, her eyes full of anger… Ness warned me that she had a nasty temper, but I had to see it to believe it… this normally sweet and timid little girl can be _scary_ when she's angry…

"P-Paula! What are you doing!?" Zelda shrieks.

Paula's completely ignores her scolding, her focus on me alone. "I know something's been up with you ever since yesterday morning! I felt you using your PSI then when no one was around, I felt your fear when the King told us about the murderer, and I noticed when you left _and_ returned to this planet _conveniently_ when this disaster started! _And_ this murderer has almost the exact same psychic aura as _you_! You'd better start explaining before we all end up dead!"

Wh… what!? She knew about _all_ of that!? Well, that at least explains why she's been glaring at me so much… I'm too scared and shocked to make a coherent response, only a frightened quiver… but fortunately Ness and a couple of Federation troopers pull her off of me. "Man, simmer down, Paula!" Ness urges her. "I know you're angry, but you heard him; we need to help Link!"

While the troopers struggle to hold the raging psychic away from me, Zelda gets the situation back on the right track. "Just how much danger is Link in?" she asks me.

I look back to her and answer, "The murderer can control lightning; one strike, and he's dead."

At the thought of that, her face turns pale. "There are Federation troopers combing the whole palace. We're evacuating all the survivors as we speak."

"Evacuate!?" Toon exclaims. "We're just running away, we're not even going to fight this guy!?"

"No, we're _not_ going to fight him!" I reaffirm for Toon. "I've seen and _felt_ the damage he can do; if we fight him, we will die. We have to get everyone out of here."

"Well, Princia and her father went to some kind of safehouse with a bunch of the Royal Guard, so they should be alright…" Zelda tells me. I'm a little relieved to hear that they're alright… "Link went with the guards that remained to confront the murderer."

"As one unit?" Jody asks, and Zelda nods. "That'll make them easier to find, at least." The Federation commander states, before holstering her gun and fiddling with something on her left glove. She starts speaking into it, "Attention all units. We've just learned that the forces fighting against Claus are in a single group with one Smasher. Find them and get them out of the building ASAP." Ah, she must have a communicator wired into her glove.

"You know his name?" Paula butts in, giving me a quizzical look.

I sigh with exasperation; does this girl ever give up? "It's a long story, and I don't have time to tell it now." I tell her, getting quite fed up with her constant probing of this delicate situation.

"…Fine." she sighs out. "But you owe us all an explanation when this is all over."

This time Ness, Toon and Zelda are less inclined to disagree with her… of course, they have to be wondering just what the hell is going on, as well. "Okay." I agree. The trouble is, I won't be able to explain to them about Claus without delving into details of my past… details that I don't want to relive. But I'll worry about that later… right now Link needs help.

--------------------

It took a lot of convincing to let me go with the Federation squad to track down Link. Jody and Zelda argued that I should be kept safe in the guest room with the children, but being the one with the most experience with Claus and being able to take care of myself, I managed to get them to let me go. Ness and Toon complained when a kid was being allowed to go and not them too, but they promptly received a harsh lecture from Zelda that they could die. I can't help but think it was meant for me to overhear, but there's a difference in my reasoning: I _know_ what I'm getting into. I _know_ that I could potentially be killed by Claus should we encounter him, and I understand and am willing to take that risk. I would sooner die than just sit idly by and let one of my friends be killed.

So Zelda and the children stayed behind while Jody, the troopers and I went off in search of the Hylian hero. Unfortunately, since none of us know the layout of the palace's massive interior – I'd only ever been to the guest rooms and throne room – it was like navigating a hedge maze with multiple floors. The only thing we had to go on was to gradually head to the opposite side of the palace, since the unharmed guest rooms were on the East wing and the damaged sections were on the West wing. And it was creepy as heck… the further we intruded into the Royal Palace, the darker it got, causing the troopers to turn on flashlights that were attached to their energy rifles. It was unnerving enough to be marching down an unknown area, knowing that the enemy could jump out and massacre us all at any moment… the gradual lack of visibility didn't help.

Even when we managed to get to the damaged area, we were lost. When a single enemy or unit launches an attack, logic dictates that there should be a single path of destruction. But looking at it now, there is no pattern to it; there are holes in the floor, there's fires burning everywhere and there are holes in the ceilings that reach all the way outside… almost exactly like in my nightmare, minus the holes and my murdered friends. This knowledge does nothing to lessen the fear I feel right now, however… the notion that Claus could be here, fighting Link in a duel to the death, or maybe having already killed him and be waiting for _me_ sends a chill down my spine. I can feel the anxiety of everyone else with me as well… while Jody appeared to be completely resolute and calm, just a glance into her eyes reveals how tense she is. People like her are trained and sometimes even paid to keep their cool in dangerous and frightening situations like this… if only I had that luxury.

Eventually, the aimless search pays off when I begin to feel something… but not nearly what I'd been hoping for. I'm not feeling Claus' psychic aura, but instead a vile, cold aura that makes my skin crawl… there's only one person I know that can produce such a feeling. Looking down the adjacent hall that it's coming from, I see my worst fears coming to life… down the hall, sitting against the left wall… in a pool of blood…

"_Mister Link_!" I wail, rushing to his aid immediately. Ragged, anguished breaths inform me that the Hylian hero is alive, but only just… he's been dealt a wide gash completely horizontal to his chest… oddly though, I was expecting much worse than this. Granted his skin is pale and he's lost so much blood it could be compared to a badly-leaking faucet, but Claus normally would've finished him off…

"Lucas…?" he breathes out, groggy and barely conscious. I can feel the darkness rising in me again… the sight of blood… _no_! I can't lose myself now… Link needs my help. If only I didn't have to see the wound to heal it, I could just shut my eyes… but even if I have to go insane again, I won't let my friend die. I hover my hands over the open gash and perform PK Healing on it… it's both disgusting and oddly exciting, watching the wound close up like a mouth… briefly in my mind I imagine the wound splitting open and releasing more of his precious life fluid… NO! I can't think about that now! I need to be totally focused to heal him! But… trying to push back the malicious intent… it's making my head ache… badly…

Finally the wound is closed up, but the damage to my mind has been done… my PSI sickness is starting to take hold… my head is aching so much, and I'm feeling woozy… not good. This is one time I can't afford to lose consciousness or my sanity. Fortunately, this time I have the opportunity to vent the built-up power… I struggle through my disorientation to get to under a hole in the ceiling and cry out, "PK LOVE!" I thrust both my hands into the air and let loose my power through the hole, harmlessly into the sky… the more I do it, the more relaxed I feel, almost light-headed…

When the attack ends, I collapse to my knees in exhaustion… I'm expecting to fall unconscious at any moment, but… I don't feel overly tired. In fact, I feel energized once my body and mind start working in unison again. Once I realize where I'm at, I remember that I'm not alone. Jody and the group of troopers – the _whole_ group, the two squads must've got back together during my little episode – are looking at me like they've seen a ghost.

I blush with embarrassment. "Eh-heh… PSI sickness… seeing that blood set me off…" I explain.

The troopers are still confused, but Jody seems to understand. "Ah, that's right, you told me about that… you need to get rid of the energy that builds up." It's true, I told her during the interrogation back at the police station… now that I think about it, this is the first time I've actually had the chance to vent that energy.

"Lucas…" Link says to me, catching my attention.

I rush back to him and kneel at his side. "Are you alright, Mister Link? You lost a lot of blood…"

He seems less concerned about his own health right now, though… "Lucas, be careful… Shadow…"

The mention of that name reminds me of the evil aura… I'd briefly forgotten about it. I look over to the door at the end of the hall… I can definitely feel it. "Shadow!? He's _here_!?" I exclaim. Link looks like he's going to say something else, but suddenly his eyes close and he slouches against the wall. "Mister Link!? _Mister Link_!" Oh no… did I not heal him fast enough!? I check his pulse… thankfully, it's steady, and I exhale my anxiety away. He's only passed out… he should be fine.

"Did he say Shadow was here?" Jody asks me as she runs up to me. "How is that possible? We never detected any ships leaving our planet other than the ones you were on…" She stops herself suddenly, before speaking again. "Did he stow away?"

"No, impossible." I tell her. "I definitely would've sensed him."

Jody looks at me quizzically. "Then how…?" She begins to ask, but then she shakes her head. "We'll solve that mystery later. What could that maniac be doing here?"

My gaze shifts back to the door at the end of the hall as I get back to my feet. "He's right behind that door." I inform her.

A moment of silence follows as everyone looks at the battered door to the next room. I hear a loud "whirr" sound coming from Jody's pistol… is she charging it up or something? She turns and points to a pair of her troopers and orders, "Stay with the Smasher. The rest of you are with me."

As the troopers follow Jody's example and power up their own energy rifles, I bring my staff into a battle-ready position. I can imagine that Shadow's presence here undoubtedly has to do with me… or maybe with Claus; I still don't know whether or not Shadow was responsible for his revival. Regardless, his reasons for being here can't be good… well, maybe we'll get the chance to ask him after we bring him in. We all crowd by the door on either side of it, and on Jody's signal, two troopers kick the door open. They all pile into the next room, weapons at the ready…

The room is very big… perhaps an assembly hall of some sort? We all fan out and cautiously begin to explore… unlike most of the palace, this room is made of marble instead of the usual gold-coloured material. Several columns line the left and right sides of the room, whatever's past them obscured with darkness… pieces of furniture and a pair of _long_ tables are strewn about the parts of the room we _can_ see. Draperies on the far end of the room are torn up and scorched, along with some of the floor and its carpeting…

"Commander…" says one of the troopers having moved to the far end of the room. Jody and I head over there, having found our man. But not the way we expected to find him… Shadow was indeed here… pinned up to the wall. His body appears limp, impaled with three slabs of marble; one in his wrist, one in _both_ of his legs and the last right through his heart. Black fluid is dripping from his mouth and the wounds… is this his blood?

"He's been… crucified…" Jody says in shock and a little awe.

I hadn't identified it as quickly as she did, since crucifixion usually has a nail between both arms, whereas Shadow only has one… but that's definitely what it looks like. The thought that my brother has the power to do _this_… it's terrifying. But something's not right… if he's dead then… I shouldn't have been able to sense his aura from the previous room… let alone right now…

Oh crap.

"I still sense his aura…" I tell Jody. "I shouldn't sense him if he's dead! He's still alive!"

"What!?" Jody shrieks, prompting her and the three troopers here with us to point their guns at the "corpse" on the wall, quickly followed by all of the others when they run over here. The tense silence is broken only by the "whirr" noise of the energy rifles. By all means of logic, Shadow _should_ be dead. Whether by the direct puncture wound to his heart or by the sheer amount of blood he's lost – even more than Link – either is enough to kill a man. He isn't moving, either… and yet his skin-crawling, demonic aura is still very clearly present. I can feel it emanating from his body.

Suddenly, something busts through Shadow's chest… an arm, a pitch black arm, clothed in a dark-grey sleeve and a black gauntlet. But how? The wall behind him is perfectly intact, otherwise the marble slabs would have nothing to hold him up to, and we would've heard it if the wall was broken through. Everyone jumps back in fright, and a couple of troopers accidentally fire a couple of rounds, but they only hit Shadow's body. The arm feels around a bit before it clamps down on the wall to the right of the body, and another black arm follows it out and presses against the other side. Whatever it is, it's pushing itself out…

Evidently, Jody doesn't want to wait to find out what it is that's coming out. "Fire!" she orders, and she and her men unload a barrage of energy shots into the hole in Shadow's chest. Each shot causes the arms to convulse a bit from the impact, but when Jody orders her men to cease fire, the arms are still pushing their way out. The width of the thing is expanding the gash in Shadow's chest more and more until it becomes a gaping, bloody hole…

A leg steps out now, also clothed in a grey pant leg and black boot. This leg is followed by its counterpart, and eventually the rest of the creature. It lands on its knees, covered in black blood and with its head facing down… but not for long. It lifts its head up to look at us, grinning madly… it _looks_ human, but the colours are way off. It's hair is grey, it's skin is black, and its eyes… as red as the fires of Hell. I realize that its clothing is exactly like Link's, right down to the hat on his head and sword strapped to his belt, only either a shade of grey or black… it's like Link in grayscale, except for the eyes.

Everyone keeps their guns – staff in my case – pointed at this… _thing_ as it lets out a chuckle… "That was invigorating…" Even its voice is like Link's, but deeper… almost demonic… what _is_ this thing!? It cocks its head to the side, looking right at me… "What, you don't recognize me, Lucas? Maybe this will help…" Suddenly the creature's colours begin to change, starting from the legs up, into a more human-like complexion except for the blood already smeared on it. The sleeves turn white, the belt red, and the skin pale… and the hair… turns purple…

I stagger backward in fright; his new colours, save for the wounds, match that of the mutilated body suspended on the wall. "Sh-Shadow!?" I stammer. Everyone else is as shocked and terrified as I am. But the aura doesn't lie… I can clearly feel it coming from this new person. Shadow's alive and, now that he has two arms, is fully restored. But… _how_!? How can he be in two places at once!? How can he be _living_!? What _is_ he!?

His head cranes back until he's looking at the crucified Shadow upside-down. "Apparently that's Claus' idea of a joke… he has an awfully dark sense of humor, don't you think?" His voice has also changed back to the way it was before.

When he mentions my brother's name, all thoughts of fright and disgust take a back seat. I dash up to him and lift him by the collar, now full of rage. "Where is he!? If you hurt him, I swear I'll--"

"You'll _what_?" he interrupts, casually and calmly bringing his head up to face me. His smile hasn't faded, and his eyes – which have also changed back to their original blue colour – have an insane gleam in them. "In case you weren't paying attention, killing me is a lot harder than you think…"

Suddenly his hand catches my wrist in a loose grip, and I jump back out of it in fright, letting go of his shirt and bringing my staff to the ready again. "What the hell _are_ you!?" Jody questions.

Shadow lets out a low chuckle, getting to his feet and now standing up straight. "I'm what you mortals would can an 'Eternal.'" he answers. "A being that transcends time and space. I can't die, for I don't _live_. Chop me, bludgeon me, blow me into a million tiny pieces… I'll just keep coming back." He cocks his head to the side. "Claus knew that and thought it'd be funny to crucify me like some kind of demon. If he were aware of what he was doing, I'd say he's got some nerve…"

Aware of what he was doing? Is Claus… being controlled again? And how would Shadow know that? No, there's only one way… Shadow must have been the one to revive him. I point my staff at him, wanting answers. "I'm not going to ask you again, freak! Where is my brother!? Why did you bring him back!?" I roar at him.

"Seriously! Both your insults _and_ your common sense need work!" he taunts me. "If _I_ were the one to bring him back, do you think _I'd_ be the one stuck on the wall?"

Err… actually, that thought hadn't crossed my mind before… "He has a point…" Jody reluctantly admits.

"Though I won't lie, I _did_ have plans to take the little cyborg under my wing…" Shadow continues. "But I was beaten to the punch. The _real_ culprit wants Claus to dispose of you…"

Terror fills my heart when I hear him say that… "What…!?" I rasp out. Claus was brought back… to kill _me_!? But… why!?

"Of course I couldn't have that happen…" he goes on, turning to his former body stuck to the wall. "I still need you. So I decided to take him on… he really is an amazing fighter! I nearly dropped half of this palace on him and he still managed to crucify me…" He pulls the cape off of the corpse and, ignoring the blood and the long rips he just formed in it, puts it on himself.

I've decided I've heard enough of his stories. "Shut up and tell me where he is!" I demand.

"Now, how can I do that after being told to shut up?" he mock-whines. Alright, he's seriously pissing me off now… "Okay, seriously. You weren't on this planet when we met, so that's what I told him… he's probably in a completely different dimension by now. Built in transportation system… useful stuff."

Well, that explains Claus' deviation in his usual attack pattern… Shadow got to him first. But a transportation system? "Transportation system!? You mean that Master Hand did this!?" I ask.

"Oh, no." Shadow said, wagging his finger. "He's powerful, but he can't perform necromancy. Mewtwo, on the other hand…"

"_Mewtwo _is _dead_." I inform him. Granted I don't really know the true extent of Mewtwo's powers, but I seriously doubt he could maintain any kind of control over my brother from beyond the grave. But if it isn't him, Master Hand or Shadow, then… who…?

Strangely, Shadow has suddenly fallen silent. He's looking at me, kind of spaced out… until his grin slowly returns, and he starts chuckling… gradually louder. He leans down, his body trembling, before he throws his head back and starts laughing like a hyena. Good God… has he lost his mind?

Suddenly the laughter stops, and he leans back down, looking at me with wide eyes and a wider grin. "Mewtwo!? You defeated Mewtwo!?" he exclaims before throwing his head back again and laughing some more… laughing until he runs out of breath, standing back up straight and clutching his chest, exhaling pleasantly. "That's _perfect_… now Master Hand has to eat his words…"

Now, _this_ grabs my attention. "Eat his words? Just what are you planning!?" I demand. He's mentioned something about this when I was at his underground "laboratory," and Master Hand and Mewtwo mentioned something about it to… I think it's about time he told us what his plan is exactly. "What the hell do you want with me!?"

Shadow smile quickly folds into a frown. "As much as I'd enjoy humoring you, I can't say anything more…"

"And _why_ is that?" Jody asks, her gun still pointed right at him… waiting for him to do something worth shooting him over, along with the rest of her troopers. I can't say I blame them.

Shadow shakes his head with a sigh. "I'm sure you know about the oath by now, right Lucas?" he asks me. "Sadly, I'm bound by the same damn thing. Telling you I'm an Eternal is as far as I can push my luck on that front…"

The oath… that's right, Mewtwo and Master Hand mentioned something about that. Apparently, it was one of the reasons why they couldn't protect me and instead decided on "terminating" me… just what _is_ this oath they're talking about? What kind of secrets are they hiding?

"Well… a couple good things came out of all this at least." Shadow says, chuckling. "One, my resurrection fixed my arm, and two… the fight between me and your brother lead you right to me…"

Suddenly he leaps right at me, painfully pressing down on my shoulder and pushing my head away from it. He moves too fast for me to react in the slightest, before I feel a horrible stinging pain on my neck… it _hurts_! It hurts so much that I can't even scream! Like fire and electricity surging from the wound and into every fiber of my being! It feels like my whole body is convulsing, pulsing uncontrollably… I can't even more. I've immediately become paralyzed, and my consciousness is already fading… all I can hear is a female scream and the sounds of gunfire before I go under…

* * *

**A/N:** Oh dear... what's going to happen to Lucas now!? You know you want to find out... R&R!


	16. Chapter 15: Transformation

**A/N:** Sorry for this chapter being a couple of days late; I wasn't sure where to go with it at first, and returning to College somewhat screwed up my schedule. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 15: Transformation_

I… I don't know where I am… everything is red… as red as blood… red as far as I can, or perhaps _can't_ see… I can't move, either… or even feel… I'm not even sure whether or not my eyes are open or closed, or if I'm in pain or not… do I even _have_ limbs anymore? I can't move my head to see… I don't know how long I've been like this, I've completely lost track of time…

Suddenly, the redness starts to darken… no, it's turning transparent… clearing? Ugh, I can't even think straight… the redness is starting to fade away, leaving it as something like a thick fog. Well, thick or not, at least I have _some_ visibility… and as I close my eyes so I can rub them with my right hand, I realize that I am also able to move. I'm not even hurting… or maybe I'm just numb, I don't know anymore… In any case, I sit up and look around through this thick red mist, trying to determine where I've wound up… it seems to be a room made of wood. There are two beds on the eastern side, one of which I'm sitting up on, and a wall-side kitchen with a dinner table on the western side. Between them, a mirror…

Wait a minute. This room… this isn't a room. This is a _house_. _My_ house, which was supposed to be burnt into cinder, is seemingly fully-restored and now permeated with this strange red fog. It shouldn't be true, but… it is. I get up and look into the mirror… it's in the exact same spot where I used to fix up my bed-head, every morning. I've seen my own reflection in it at least a thousand times…

But something is wrong with my reflection. I know my face is showing astonishment with an open mouth… the mirror is showing my face with a small, content smile. A smile which quickly turns into sinister, sadistic grin, and then all I see is a streak of blue rushing at me…

--------------------

A hoarse scream forces its way out of my mouth as I shoot upright. My strength is drained, my whole body is aching including a persistent itch on the right side of my neck, and I – yet again – have a bad headache… I feel like utter crap, in other words. I look around to see that I'm not home anymore, but in a golden-coloured room… two computer screens filled with foreign lettering are across from the bed I'm sitting on, and I can hear the accelerated beeping of a heart rate monitor beside me…

It doesn't take me long to figure out that I've come from another nightmare to another hospital bed, likely at Magica given the decor. Normally I'd be rightfully angry that my slumber wasn't peaceful, but… I feel a bit scared instead. I don't know why… though this nightmare was a bit different than the rest; this is the first time since that night three and a half years ago that my nightmares haven't revolved around blood and my friends… but that didn't make it any less intense. I have to take a couple of minutes to shake away my disorientation… the old-fashioned way, of course, since my headache temporarily halts any attempts at PSI-use. It's really weird… usually when I wake up, even out of a nightmare, my strength is replenished. This time, I feel drained…

I hear a hiss and turn to see the door sliding upwards, allowing passage to a mid-sized man wearing a white lab coat. His pants are the same colour as well as his boots, he has short black hair with a moustache and dark-red eyes. "Ah, you're awake." His voice is deep, but otherwise average for a man his size. He must be a doctor, given my location and how he's dressed… and how _I'm_ dressed, if you can call wearing nothing but boxers "dressed."

I groan, rubbing my forehead in a vain attempt to stave off my headache. "How long was I out for?"

"Not very long, only about eight hours." the doctor replies. Personally I think eight hours _is_ a long time, but he's probably seen a lot worse. "How are you feeling?"

I shake my head a couple of times, trying to focus. I do a quick check on my reflexes, getting my feet on the floor and standing up while I stretch. My body is aching all over, but only enough to be irritating… my movements don't seem to be inhibited at all. The odd itch on my neck demands to be scratched though. "I'm a little sore…" I tell him.

"Well, that's to be expected… you were shaking and thrashing about non-stop in your sleep." he tells me. At first I don't think that's a difference between how I usually sleep, but it would explain my sore joints… do I really not move around in bed all that much when I'm having a typical nightmare? I guess this _was_ different… the doctor's eyes shift off of my face for a moment, now looking at my hand… his face scrunches up in confusion. "We're still not sure what _that_ is. None of our remedies can cure it, and the special healing powers of your friends didn't help it either…"

What, on my neck? Wait… that's right, before I blacked out… Shadow did something. He bit me on the neck… I guess I shouldn't be surprised that something _he_ inflicted on me can't be cured by conventional magic or medicine. After all, he _is_ different from normal people… an "Eternal," he called himself, something that doesn't live and doesn't die. Wait… before I blacked out… I was surrounded by other people: Jody Summer and her squadron of troopers. "Wait, what about the others!?" I ask in a panic. If Shadow can't die, then that could only mean…

The doctor's expression suddenly turns grim. "Their commander made it with just a broken leg, but her comrades… they weren't as fortunate." he replies. I'm not sure how to feel… I'm a little happy that Jody is alive, but the other troopers… again, I shouldn't be surprised. I've seen Shadow demonstrate his inhuman combat skill back at Mute City, _twice_. The only question is how badly the trooper's injuries were, though I don't think I want to know the answer… "Anyway, I was told to bring your friends to you once you awoke… or you to them, if you have enough strength to move."

Well, I do feel a little exhausted and sore… but it wasn't that big of a deal. "I'm okay… can you please take me to them?"

He nods. "Of course, but first I'd like to run a few more tests…"

--------------------

Apparently these "tests" the doctor hinted at involved taking blood samples… it seemed he wasn't content with the tests he ran while I was unconscious. I've never had to get a needle into my arm before, since technology back at Nowhere Island wasn't that advanced and I haven't ever been sick before, so this was a new experience… a most unwelcome one. I'm not sure whether it was the penetration of an aching muscle or just getting the thing poked into me, but it _hurt_. I'm hoping I never have to go through that again…

Once the blood was drawn out and sent to a testing lab, I got my clothing back on and the doctor led me to my friends. It was a longer journey down the still-intact halls of the Magican Royal Palace than I'd hoped for; they were supposedly gathered in a common room around where their guest rooms were… which was unfortunately three _long_ hallways, two floors up and another three long hallways away from the medical ward. I managed to avoid getting the doctor worried about me though and made it there without incident.

I had quite the welcome waiting for me, apparently. "_Lucas_!" exclaims the children, all of them glomping me except for Paula.

"Argh!" I grunt out; they are obviously unaware that my body is aching… the sudden tight embrace that threatens to take me down to the floor isn't helping. "Ness, Toon, please!" They eventually let go, allowing me to look around the room. It's quite big, circular-shaped and adorned with tall windows and elegant purple tassels. The windows and walls are lined with plush couches and chairs, all with red cushions and golden armrests. Link and Zelda are seated together, and Princia and her father are also present. Jody is sitting in a chair, holding a couple of crutches and wearing a white cast on her left leg.

"Please be gentle." the doctor warns them. "He's able to move on his own, but he's very sore."

"O-oh… sorry." Toon apologizes.

"Sore? From _that_?" Ness asks, pointing at my neck.

It's upon his singling out the itchy part of my neck that I realize I haven't actually _seen_ the wound that Shadow left there. "What _is_ it, anyway? I haven't seen it yet…" I inquire.

Ness cocks an eyebrow and looks closer at it. "It looks like you were Count Dracula's lunch." Count Dracula's… now just what on earth is _that_ supposed to mean? Instead of simply scratching the itchy spot, I probe around it with my finger to try and feel just how big the wound is… to find that it's actually _two_ small wounds. Two little circles, to be precise…

My eyes widen as I decipher Ness' pitiful joke. Count Dracula is a vampire… and these wounds are apparently the telltale sign of a vampire _bite_. "Are you kidding me!?" I exclaim.

"I'm not joking, that's seriously what it looks like." Ness confirms. "We were all a little confused…" I'm immediately concerned for my own well-being… this was inflicted by Shadow after all, there was no telling what he did to me…

"That's why we're running those blood tests." the doctor says to me. "When you were first brought in, we definitely found foreign cells in your bloodstream. We can only assume they came from that bite."

Foreign… meaning something that shouldn't be there. And he thinks Shadow's bite… injected something "foreign" into my blood? I really don't like where this is going… "Y… y-you don't seriously think…" I stutter out. It's true that vampires are creatures of myth… but that only holds true for the worlds I've been to so far. In any number of worlds, vampires could be very real, and if you get bit by a vampire – assuming you don't die – you eventually _become_ one. But Shadow isn't a vampire, he's an Eternal… there's a major difference… isn't there?

"I don't know _what_ to think. All of our magical and scientific knowledge, and this is the first time we've seen anything remotely _like_ this." the doctor replies. "The foreign cells were constantly active while you were unconscious, which I suppose we can attribute to your movements then and your soreness now… but we didn't get to test you when you were awake yet." he explains.

Ugh, as if my troubles weren't numerous enough already… I have to deal with constant bouts of murderous insanity, my own boss is trying to kill me, some unknown benefactor brought my brother back from the grave to kill me, and now Shadow's poisoned me with God-knows-what. And I'm positive this isn't the end of it…

"These tests take about an hour to run." the doctor continues. "I'll contact you with the results." With that, the doctor exits the room.

Ness and Toon return to their seats, while I finally get to sit down in a chair beside Princia's. "So…" she addresses me. "Aside from all of that, how are you feeling?"

I smile back at her. "A little bit sore, but I'm alright." I reply.

"So, we've got an hour to kill. What do you guys wanna do?" Toon asks everyone, leaning on the arm of his couch and setting his head on his hand.

This is the annoying thing about having to wait for small amounts of time… it's _just_ enough to make you want to do something to pass the time, but _not_ enough to really get into any activities. Normally I'd be as confused as everyone else as to what to do… but I already have something in mind. Last night, before Jody and I encountered Shadow, I made a promise to Paula… after the danger has passed, I had promised to explain my actions over the past couple of days. Well, the danger has passed… I let out a heavy sigh, knowing that I'm going to have a lot to say. "Last night, before we went after Shadow… I promised to explain myself. For leaving the planet and all…" I quickly have everyone's attention, especially Paula's. "Make yourselves comfortable, this is going to be a long story…"

--------------------

As I'd expected since last night, I wasn't able to explain my actions involving Claus without elaborating on the events that made him who he was, and who I am now… in other words, I had to explain _everything_. From that frightful night in Sunshine Forest where my mother was mauled to when I had to cross blades with my brother, I revealed everything about my past, including the part about my home being destroyed. I then informed them of the events that turned me insane, when I returned to Nowhere Island wondering what became of it, including when I had to return there to confirm whether or not Claus was alive again. "That's why I went alone." I finish up. "Nowhere Island was where I first went insane… I didn't want to risk losing myself again with you guys around…"

It's a good thing that was the end of it, because I was on the verge of tears. Princia came over to me then, kneeling down and pulling me into a comforting hug and stroking my hair… I proceeded to sob into her shoulder. Even in this state, I could feel the shock and sorrow of everyone in the room. "It's okay, Lucas… it's over…" she says to try and calm me down.

"Oh my God… Lucas, I am _so_ sorry…" Paula apologizes.

"N-no, it's not your fault…" I reply to her through my crying. "I should've told you all when this mess started…"

"So, did you find him?" Ness asks me. "Your brother, I mean…"

As much as I wish I could say yes, I shake my head to the negative. "No… we found Shadow instead." I didn't need to explain what happened with that… apparently Jody had already done that before I got here earlier this morning; after I'd blacked out, Shadow went ape-scat on the troopers, killing them all in mere seconds. Jody herself was just left with a broken leg, apparently so she could be a messenger. The Smashers were quite surprised to learn that Shadow was here without them knowing. "According to him, Claus had a portable transportation system that he warped out of here with…"

Ness frowns. "Dang…"

"Okay, I think it's time for a rain-check." Toon pipes up. "First we've got Shadow, an immortal maniac who wants Lucas to lose his mind. Second, we've got Master Hand and Mewtwo--"

"Wrong; Mewtwo is out." Ness interrupts.

"Oh, right." Toon continues. "Ahem, _Master Hand_ wants Lucas dead because of his oath or something, and now Lucas' brother is on the loose and wants him dead too."

"Including whoever brought Claus back to begin with…" Zelda finishes. "Whom we don't know the identity of yet."

Link shakes his head with a sigh. "Honestly Lucas, how have you lived this long?" he asks me. It's a shame I can't answer him… heck, _I'd_ like to know, myself.

Having since calmed down – though still in Princia's arms, and I'm not going to complain – and now looking at Link, I see him holding something in his left hand that I hadn't noticed before. It's some kind of orange-glowing thing on a black stick… I'm sure I've seen that before. "Mister Link, what's that in your hand?" I ask him.

Link looks down at the object he's holding. "It's a part of a weapon, one enchanted with fire." he replies. "I found it in the wrecked hallways."

A weapon? Wait a minute… "I've seen that before! That's the blade of Shadow's polearm!" I exclaim. Everyone's eyes are on Link and his newfound souvenir now. "It must've been broken when he was fighting Claus…"

"Hmm…" Link hums to himself in thought. "You usually have to enchant weapons yourself, with your own magic. But this one has the magic fused with the metal… there's only one place I know where weapons are made like this." He looks up at us. "A sword-making city called Westyrn. It's in another dimension."

"Sword-making?" Jody repeats. "He'll probably be heading there for a replacement, then…" She stops herself. "Not that it makes any difference… we don't have any way to stop him right now…"

Unfortunately, Jody is right… being an Eternal, Shadow would revive from any fatal wound we could deal him. And there was no telling what other abilities he has… as much as I would like to see the madman brought to justice, we simply don't know enough about him to take him on. "And we have no idea where Claus is…" I remind everyone.

"Well, that only leaves one enemy." Ness says. "I think it's about time Master Hand told us about his little 'oath…'"

"He's right…" Link agrees. "Now that Mewtwo is out of the picture, Master Hand is on his own."

"Haha! The bunch of us could take him easy!" Toon cackles.

They're all correct… were it not for Mewtwo watching our every move, we would've haggled Master Hand for the truth days ago; taking them both on would've been suicide. But now that the Pokéclone is no longer a problem, we could literally fight Master Hand with one arm tied behind our backs. I can feel myself getting excited… for the first time since this whole problem started, we have a chance to make real progress in solving it. "Captain Falcon was supposed to get out of the dimension after he told the Federation about our escape from Mute City…" Zelda says. "There's a chance he went back to the Smash Manor and briefed the others on this."

"Then what the heck are we waiting for!?" Toon asks, getting to his feet and flexing his muscles. "Let's get back home and teach that oversized oven mitt a lesson!"

"Whoa, don't get too hasty!" Princia interrupts. "Don't forget, we still need Lucas' blood test results before he goes anywhere…" Ahh, crap… the princess is right. Everyone in the room, including myself, had forgotten about that when the serious conversation started. Personally though, I'd rather not head out until I know it's safe for me to do so…

"My ears are burning." Everyone turns to the doorway to see, to my surprise, the doctor standing there with an envelope in his right hand. "It seems the labs have impeccable timing as always. The tests were just completed." He says. Now he has my undivided attention… "I'm not sure whether or not it was through our medicines or your healing powers, but the foreign blood cells that were forced into Lucas' bloodstream have died off. They're still floating around in there, but I don't think they'll cause any more harm."

I could feel relief like you couldn't believe when I heard him say that… I throw my head back and say, "Thank God…"

"We're working on a vaccine to eradicate the foreign cells just to be safe, but it will take a couple of days to create." the doctor explains. "There's nothing else we can do at the moment and your physical state otherwise unharmed, so I've cleared you to leave, Lucas. Just make sure you come back soon."

I finally – and reluctantly – get out of Princia's embrace, bow my head to the doctor and say, "Oh, thank you!"

"Alright, the gang's all together again!" Ness exclaims, but then glares at me. "Unless you take another unannounced trip…"

I take a few futile moments to try and figure out whether he's joking or not… I shake my head and reply, "Don't worry, that won't happen again…"

"Aw, are you all leaving already?" Princia asks, seeming a bit downcast… and it doesn't take me long to experience the feeling myself; this planet is her home. She probably won't be coming with us… "Well… I guess you _are_ pressed for time. I understand, I'll have my ship prepared to take you back to Mute City."

"Thank you, Princess." Zelda says, rising to her feet along with everyone else. She then bows to the King, who has been silent and just observing the conversation the whole time, and says to him, "Your Majesty, thank you for your hospitality."

"Of course, Princess Zelda." he replies. "I wish you nothing but the best in the journeys ahead."

While everyone says their good-byes and Princia leads them out of the room, I realize that I have much to apologize for… it's partially my fault that the King's palace incurred as much damage as it did, including the innocent lives that were destroyed with it… I decide to stay behind and atone for this. "Your Majesty?" I address him once everyone has left the room except for him. He looks at me, and I bow my head. "I… I'm sorry… everything that's happened here, it's all because of me..."

"Nonsense, young one." the King interrupts. "You cannot blame yourself for the misdeeds of others. The fault lies not with you, but with those who seek to destroy you, those who caused this damage in the first place…" I look up at him with surprise. "I pray that you will bring them to justice."

Slowly, I can't help but grin. "Thank you, Your Majesty… I will, I promise." I turn around to head out the door and shout, "So long!" before I exit and rejoin the others.

--------------------

I'm suddenly back here again… back in my home… looking in this mirror. I don't know why, but I feel… drawn to it, to my reflection that has that same, sinister grin as before. I'm also notice something that I didn't before… the eyes. They aren't blue like mine, but they're as red as the mist fogging up the house…

_"Weak…"_ Suddenly, my reflection speaks, but I didn't even make a noise… I look around frantically, but there is no one else here, no one I can see at least. I look back to the reflection, which is grinning broadly now. _"So pathetically weak…"_ Its voice echoes almost painfully in my head… seeing its mouth move with that phrase, I know now that this twisted reflection of myself is speaking of its own accord.

Suddenly, the red mist becomes much denser, and I suddenly burn up with pain…

--------------------

I jump out of bed panting and sweating for… I've lost count of how many times, I'm sure it's well-over a hundred by now. I'm wasn't able to prevent myself from falling asleep when night came around, this time in the same guest room that I stayed in the last time I was on Princia's starship. It was strange… it was like my body just willed _itself_ to sleep despite my protests, and they are well-warranted protests; it seems to be compulsory that I have a nightmare every time I lose consciousness… this last one was eerily similar to my previous one, not just due to the dreamscape and events, but because I've woken up in blistering agony. This time the aching is much worse than before… there was no headache this time, but my body was hurting so badly that I almost thought it was on fire. A quick PK Healing remedies that, since I'm actually able to use it this time, but it didn't cure the fervent itching on my neck… in fact, it too was worse than before.

The doctor said that I was cured… he sounded so sure and even had the results in his hand with him. But now, I'm _not_ so sure… since it's early in the morning when I'm forced out of my slumber, I have time to think about it. These "foreign cells" were injected into my body by Shadow's bite on my neck… and Shadow can't die; he just revives himself. I'm starting to get a little concerned that his cells, or whatever it was he put into me, have the same ability. They must've been dead when the doctor tested my blood before; if they _can_ resurrect, then they must've done so after the tests were complete… what could this mean?

I decide not to tell the others… I'd rather they remain oblivious to this, at least until this crazy adventure is over. Paula probably sensed me using my PSI if she were awake, but hopefully she would just chalk it up to my worsening mental condition – I'd made sure to explain about that yesterday as well – and leave it at that. I'm not holding my breath, though…

Not bothering to go back to sleep, I decide to get up, get dressed and head out to the recreation room of Princia's ship. I wasn't expecting anyone to be there yet, but there was: Princia herself. Just like last time we were both in here, she was gazing out the window, sitting backwards on her chair… she's very deep in thought, and I can tell that her thoughts aren't bright and cheery… "Good morning, Princia." She turns to me slowly, and to my surprise, I can see that she's been crying… and she still is. She quickly turns back to the window, and I can hear her sob. "Wh-what's wrong?" I ask, walking over to her and getting a side view of her face.

"It's nothing…" she says, trying to fight back her tears and burying her head in the cushion so I can't see it.

"That's a lie." I deadpan. "No one cries over nothing. I don't need psychic powers to know that." Princia looks at me again. I think she's about to say something, but instead she plants her head back into the cushion and cries some more. I can't stand it… I can't stand seeing her like this. So I do for her what she did for me all those times I cried… I hug her. I have to hug her from behind since her front is blocked by the couch, but it's still a hug nonetheless. It seems to do the trick, but instead of crying over my shoulder, she grabs my arm and cries into it instead. It's a very weird experience… not just feeling her tears on my arm, but to be the comforter instead of the comforted…

"I-I'm… I'm sorry, Lucas…" she sobs. "I couldn't… protect you…" Protect me? I lean my head over her shoulder, trying to get a better view of her face. "I thought bringing you to my home would… keep you safe… but it just got my own people hurt… and now you're going away, and… I… I've let you down…"

Let me down? Of course… it was Princia's idea to bring me to her home planet for my safety in the first place. I guess Shadow and Claus decimating a good portion of her home doesn't classify as "safe." But that doesn't mean she didn't try… "Princia, that's nonsense…" I say quietly into her ear. "It's not your fault, Princia… _none_ of what happened to me or to Magica is your fault. If it weren't for you keeping me calm all the time, I'd probably be in way more trouble than I am now." She looks at me with reddened eyes. "You've done more for me than I ever could've asked for…"

She looks at me with wide eyes, sniffling. "Lucas…" she whimpers.

I smile at her and say, "I'm not mad at you, Princia. I'm… happy I met you… and… I'm going to miss you…" I struggle to maintain that smile as tears start to well up in my own eyes. Princia played a pivotal part in keeping my sanity intact… she was there to comfort me when I was at my worst. I'm not sure what I'll do without her… "I'm gonna miss you so much…" I can no longer stop the tears from leaking out of my eyes, but just then, Princia flips around through my grip to face me and pulls me into an embrace of her own… it's another new and strange experience, being in the arms of a crying lady while tears are streaming down my own face as well. There was no one else for us to cling to in our sorrow but each other… there was no need for words. Even without psychic powers, we knew what we were feeling. So we sat there, crying… letting all of the sorrow out. And even when it stopped, we were still holding each other…

After a few minutes of this, Princia breaks the silence. "Lucas?" she says to me, and I look up at her face. "Promise me you'll come back safe… please…"

I fight the urge to bite my lip; we both know about the danger that could lie ahead for me, but she doesn't know about my worsening physical condition… or at least I _think_ it's getting worse, I don't know for sure. But I see no reason to worry her with something I don't fully understand yet… "I promise, Princia. I promise…" I reply, trying to reassure her as much as myself…

--------------------

The rest of the trip was without incident; Princia and I hastily broke our mutual embrace when Ness and Toon charged into the room later on… the amount of noise they made on the way there made it evident they were coming. When everyone was awake and present, we pretty much just went over the plan; if Master Hand is at the Smash Manor, corner him and get some answers, and track him down if not. We're all seriously hoping that Captain Falcon beat him there, because some of the Smashers have undying loyalty to Master Hand… though not on the level Falcon used to have. We'd have a hard time proving this crazy story since the only material proof we have is the blade of Shadow's polearm… the sudden lack of faith on Falcon's part would be so much more convincing.

As suspected, Princia wasn't coming with us; apparently she and her father discussed this earlier, and as much as she wanted to help, the King used the classic "it's too dangerous" line to shut her down. I didn't say this out loud, but I'm a bit inclined to agree… I'd rather not risk her safety, either. Jody Summer wasn't coming either for obvious reasons… before the Smashers, Paula and I all jumped into the transportation system, Princia and I shared a final good-bye hug. I promised to get revenge for the wolf-whistling that ensued from Ness and Toon. Jody wished us the best of luck, and we were off to my second home for the first time in a long time…

When we were all present and accounted for at the Smash Manor's transportation room, Ness blurted out, "Home, sweet home!"

"Doesn't seem so sweet to me…" I lightly retort.

"Let's not waste any time." Zelda orders. "If Master Hand learns that we've returned before we reach him, there's no telling what he'll do."

"Right!" said Link and his cartoon-like counterpart, the latter with just a bit more enthusiasm.

Quickly we rush out of the transportation room and get on our way to Master Hand's office. It's a bit nostalgic, wandering these hallways again… "Don't you think we should let the others know what we're doing?" Paula asks as we run.

"No way, we don't know if they're in on this yet!" Ness replies. He has a point… Master Hand could've told the Smashers any number of things to cover up the truth if Captain Falcon didn't get here first. We could only be inviting more trouble by hassling them to help… besides, the six of us should be enough to take down Master Hand anyway should we have to fight him.

When we get to a section of hallways with windows, I notice that a faint, blue light is shining in from them… I look outside to see the full moon up in the sky. It's nighttime… it seems oddly… enticing…

"Urk!" The slight gag that escapes my throat does nothing to express the sudden, horrible pain that surges through my chest. It's so intense that I fall to my knees, clutching where my heart is… the agony suddenly strikes again, with twice the force and this time coursing through my entire body. "AGH!"

"L-Lucas!?" Ness and Toon simultaneously shout out in concern.

"What's wrong!?" Paula asks.

"I… I'm…" I can hardly speak or even think straight… my body feels like it's burning up, but not to the point where I'm numb, because I can feel sweat dripping from my face. I wrap my arms around myself; it feels like my sides are about to burst… "I feel… like I'm burning up inside…!" That's all I can manage to get out before my body jerks upright of its own volition, making me cry out. Now it feels like my head is going to explode… my hands clasp onto it out of pure instinct, and I scrunch up into the fetal position on the floor.

"Evil…" I hear Zelda say. "A massive amount of evil is building up in Lucas' body!"

"Wh-what do we do!?" Toon wails. I hope they come up with something soon, because this pain is unlike anything I've ever felt before… my whole-body aching is nothing but an itch in comparison, and speaking of itching, the bite on my neck isn't doing that anymore… in fact it's burning the most out of anything. I clamp a hand down on it, but that only seems to make it worse… _God_, this is horrible!

"The bite mark! It's glowing!" Ness yells over my cries of pain.

My body is starting to twitch and jerk uncontrollably… with every jerk my body makes, the part that moves burns horribly. I… I can't take it… "I can't… take it… _ugh_!" I grunt.

"PK Healing!" shout Ness and Paula, and I can feel their psychic powers building up… but I'm not feeling it. They're trying their hardest to stop or at the very least numb the pain, but it isn't working at all… it's like they're not even doing anything. "What the!? Why isn't it working!?" Ness says helplessly.

"Kn… nnn…" I try to tell them to knock me out… I'd rather be having a nightmare than going through this! "Knock me out…!" My entire body convulses in pain again, this time causing me to flip over onto my back, now looking at the helpless faces above me.

"Bu… but…" Toon whimpers. Clearly he doesn't approve of the idea I just gave them, but from what I can tell none of us have a better one… just make it _stop_!

Zelda sighs exasperatedly. "Lucas, I'm very sorry about this!" she says, putting her hand on my forehead. A voice in my head commands me to swat it away, but I resist it… suddenly my eyesight starts to dim, as well as every other sense in my body… is she casting a… sleeping spell…? I… I can't stay… awake…

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**A/N:** Dang, _now_ what's happening to Lucas? Stay tuned for the next chapter… you're going to love it. R&R!


	17. Chapter 16: Vampire

**A/N:** Wow, Chapter 16. I never thought I'd get this far... I'm really enjoying writing this story.

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_Chapter 16: Vampire_

_Stupid idiot…_

_You're way too weak…_

_Crybaby…_

"Shut up…"

_You can't save anyone…_

_You're going mad!_

_You are a savage moron…_

"SHUT UP!" I can't take much more of this… wandering blindly through this red fog, listening to these voices speaking thoughts I had never wanted to think… and not the voices of others, these words were in _my_ voice. I don't know how, I've never heard my own voice spoken from another set of lips, but… somehow I just know…

As soon as I stand up and shout my discontent with those voices, the fog clears, only enough for me to see my surroundings… not that they're any different from the last two nightmares I've had. Oh, I know this is a nightmare this time… it's the only explanation for me being back in my fully-restored, red mist-filled house on Nowhere Island. Again, I find myself drawn to the mirror where I used to readjust my hair… and my reflection stares back at me, still flashing that sinister, crazed smile that I know isn't my own.

I'm starting to get seriously annoyed. This is the third time in a row I've had a nightmare like this… I'm beginning to think it isn't a coincidence. Something to do with this mirror casting the wrong reflection… something about it terrifies me as well as aggravates me. Something is seriously wrong, and I think this might be my ticket to finding out what. Mustering what courage and – in case I need it – restraint I have left, I march up to the mirror. My reflection marches with me, its grin widening. "Who are you?" I ask with a growl.

A laugh. A faint, ghastly laugh that chills me to the bone escapes the reflection's lips, but it's nothing my own voice can't duplicate. _"What a stupid question… you _are_ looking in a mirror, aren't you?"_

In that instant, my courage is lost. Its voice… it sounds exactly like my own, but I can easily detect the malice and insincerity behind it. Insincere types have always made my blood boil… and this time is no different. Anger takes place of my courage and allows me to press on. "You are _not_ me! I can feel the evil intent coming off of you!" And I don't even have to _try_ to feel it… it's like a horrible stench that makes me sick to my stomach.

It laughs again, but this time heartily. _"And what does that make you? You, who killed the innocent people you swore to protect! You, who even _enjoyed_ doing it!"_ it taunts me. _"What right do you have to determine what's evil and what isn't? You don't even know, yourself… but I do."_ It's as if the temperature drops forty degrees as my reflection presses his hands against the mirror, his face drooping down and shaking as he chuckles. He then lifts his head back up, giving me a better look at his red eyes… there's no life in them. It's like looking into a pair of endless voids, like I'm being sucked into them… _"I _am_ you."_

"What are you _talking about_!?" I shout at my reflection.

Unable to widen its grin anymore, it merely opens its mouth to show its amusement. _"Exactly what I said…"_ his voice becomes low and raspy in tone, but still nothing that I can't mimic. _"I'm _you_. I'm the 'evil' you want to bury away... I'm the you that enjoys the bloodshed… _I'm_ the you that wants revenge for everything that those people on the outside have put us through!"_ he yells. _"In other words…"_ His tone drops again, and he slides down the mirror and leans his head down… before looking back up at me, his pupils almost impossibly contracted and bloodshot. _"I'm everything you're _afraid _to be..."_

The reflection in the mirror starts to change, and I find myself stepping backward in terror… the image seems to warp and ripple until eventually it seemingly melts away, revealing something under it… a twisted visage of everything reflected on this side. From what I can see from where I've moved to, the house on the other side of the mirror is dilapidated and flaming… the table and chairs and destroyed, the walls are broken and torn down in numerous places, a red liquid that is unmistakably blood soaks the floor… and _me_… I'm not something I could even begin to describe as "human." My reflection's skin complexion has become a pale blue, its hair has become dark brown and messed up, and… _bat wings_ appear to be sticking out of its back. Its fingers have shifted into long-nailed claws, and its mouth has sprouted fangs… the only thing that hasn't changed is the eye colour, which was already different to begin with.

I have to take a quick look at myself with my own eyes to make sure that _I_ haven't turned into that. Thankfully, my own body hasn't seemed to change… _"I am every 'evil' or 'impure' impulse and thought you've ever had…"_ It almost seems to have developed a second, deeper and darker voice, mixed with my own… _"I am the _real_ you… the one you hide from everyone, fearing their what they'll say, think and do…"_

I try – and miserably fail – to stop my voice from quivering in fright. "You… you're… you're not me… you're… I'm not…" My frantic mind tries to come up with something to call this twisted iteration of myself… only one such term seems to stick out. "I AM NOT SOME DAMNED _VAMPIRE_!" I shout at him.

_"You weren't _before_ Shadow bit you…"_ my reflection coolly and calmly counters. _"How would _you_ know what you are now? Definitely not a light-hearted kid anymore..."_ It sneers at me. _"You were euphoric when you slaughtered all of those people and bathed in their blood, and it was tantalizing when that drop of blood from that Magican servant girl hit your tongue..."_ It finally stands up straight again, flashing me a cocky, crazed grin. _"You definitely have the _mindset_ of a vampire!"_

"SH-SHUT UP!" I scream, covering my ears and shaking my head in the hopes that I wouldn't have to hear any more. "Just _shut up_!" Tears begin to fall from my eyes… I am not some bloodlust-crazed monster! I _hated_ myself for killing all of those people! But… but not… not when I was _in the act_… during the precise moments I'd been slaughtering those people in Mute City, both Giygas-controlled and innocent… I _had_ enjoyed it. I'd enjoyed it so much that my voice had become hoarse from laughing and I was playing in their blood. I wasn't in my right mind in any of those cases, not even when I killed Mewtwo, but… for those brief moments when my sanity was non-existent, I _had_ liked it… "So… _so what_ if I enjoyed it!? That doesn't make me a monster! That doesn't make me like _you_!" I retort.

My vampiric reflection clicks his tongue three times and shakes his head. _"Not _yet_, anyway…"_ It looks at me again. _"I think we're going to have a lot of fun together…"_ Before I can ponder these last words, my whole world becomes red again…

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Immediately I know that I've woken up, if that red flash was the same end-of-nightmare sequence as the last one… normally I would scream and complain that my body is in horrific pain, but… I can't. Something is covering my mouth, muffling the sound… when I open my eyes, everything is blue and misty-looking… I can see a tube sticking out of something covering my mouth and nose, which leads upwards… it appears to be sticking out of a large tube of blue liquid of some sort, which I am submerged in. It feels warm against my skin… but why isn't it touching my eyes? I reach my hand out to touch them and instead touch a pair of goggles… I then look down to see that, once again, I have been stripped of everything but my boxers. This is really getting disturbing… how many more times is this going to happen? There are also various wires connected to clear patches all over my body…

Somehow this scene seems familiar to me… floating around in a tube of blue water, covered in wires… trying to look at whatever is outside of the transparent tube, I notice a bunch of computers and their corresponding monitors lining the walls of the small, square room… along with a single person standing in it. I can't make out the colours of the outfit, but I'd recognize it anywhere and can take a fair guess at what it looks like… a frilly pink princess' dress endowed with a blue jewel at the chest area, two white elbow-length cotton gloves and a crown with a blue jewel on either side and a red one at the front. The crown sits atop a head of long, blonde hair and a face whose beauty is almost unrivaled, with a pair of ocean-blue eyes.

I recognize this person staring back at me immediately; her name is Peach, princess of the Mushroom Kingdom and also a Smasher. She often takes the role of nurse alongside her boyfriend Mario – at least I think he's her boyfriend – when he works as a doctor. The moment I see her, I know where I am; I'm still at the Smash Manor, in one of the medical labs. This tube I'm in is filled with a healing solution of some sort that works overnight. I didn't recognize it at first because I've only ever seen it from the outside, usually looking at Captain Falcon or Link covered in these wire sensors… because I can heal my own injuries, I've never had to be _in_ one of these tubes before. For them to put me in one of these must've meant that my body was in a horrible state when I blacked out… but looking at my body now, I don't see any wounds. I look at Peach and lightly tug on a sensor, making the motion to ask if I can take them off and get out of here; with this breathing mask covering my mouth, I can't ask verbally.

She nods and smiles lightly in response, so I proceed to start getting these wires off of me while she walks off to a terminal, and after a few keystrokes the healing fluid begins to drain. Once I'm standing on solid ground again and out of the liquid, I get rid of the breathing mask and goggles, then step out of the tube as its front end slides open like a door. Peach greets me with a smile and hands me a towel. "How do you feel?" she asks me. Her voice is sweet and light, almost angelic…

"I feel… great, actually…" I admit. It was strange, waking up without a scratch or an ache for once… I proceed to dry myself off and ask, "What happened to me?"

Peach's smile fades instantly. "Those dead cells in your body suddenly acted up." she explains. So I was right… the foreign cells Shadow put into me _do_ have the ability to resurrect themselves. "They seemed to be… transforming you or something… Mario and I are still baffled."

"Transforming?" I repeat. "Transforming into what?"

"I… think you might want to see for yourself. The hallway cameras caught it." she suggests. Actually, that sounds like a good idea… I don't think I'd believe it if I didn't see it first.

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After drying off, sneaking back to my room for fresh clothing and fixing my hair, Peach leads me to the common room of the Smash Manor's second floor. I had questioned why we would be heading here, and she replied that it was better to show everyone what had happened to me last night so that there wouldn't be any controversy about it. I didn't really like the idea of my transformation being made for public viewing, but she did have a point; the Smashers can get into arguments, some that turn violent, over the simplest things at times. I've seen this happen most often with Captain Falcon and Samus… he might be strong and well-revered for his racing and bounty hunting skills, but he can't womanize to save his life.

The common room was a very spacious area, chairs and couches lined up along the walls with a pair of coffee tables in the middle of the room, and a widescreen, HD television at one end. The windows gave a very good view of the front of the manor's courtyard, which had lush green grass, a looping driveway and two statues; one of Master Hand, and one of Crazy Hand, his left-hand brother. I haven't seen him very often, but from what I can tell his psychotic tendencies and nervous twitches are so terrible, it's a wonder he isn't a drooling vegetable… if gloves can drool, I mean. He can actually be smart and insightful at times, but usually he is playful and immature.

Back on topic, four people are present in the room other than myself and Peach; first, there's Mario, donned in his usual plumber's outfit. His red shirt, blue overalls, red hat with his trademark "M" emblem and full-bodied moustache are impossible to miss. Currently he's staring at the TV with a confused and grim expression, as if trying to spot an imperfection of some sort. Ness, Paula and Zelda are also present, sitting on the furniture in the room but looking just as concerned as the Italian plumber in front of them.

"Mario, he's awake." Peach says to break the odd silence in the room. Everyone looks in my direction.

"Lucas!" shouts Ness with joy, rushing at me and glomping me again… at least this time I'm not hurting all over. If I were, I'd have bonked him on the head for not learning his lesson. "Oh man, you're alright!"

Unfortunately though, the rough hug does something I didn't expect; compress my lungs. Not painfully, but enough to restrict my breathing. "I'll be fine once I can _breathe_!" I complain with a wheeze; Ness quickly jumps back and apologizes. I turn to Mario and walk over to him. "So um, Miss Peach told me you recorded my… transformation?" I ask. I'm still a bit confused by all of this…

He nods slowly. "Yes, but-a it's not-a for-a the faint of-a the heart…" I still have trouble understanding his English through that Italian accent sometimes. "Are you-a sure-a you-a want to see it?"

I grit my teeth in uncertainty after he asks me that; having dealt with villains and demons of many shapes and sizes, the Super Smash Brothers organization doesn't throw around the phrase "not for the faint of heart" very often, in fact situations that involve the terrifying and disturbing are compulsory for the job. It could mean that whatever the cameras recorded is really bad… or Mario could simply be asking because I'm one of the younger Smashers. If that's the case, then both he and I shouldn't have much to worry about… I've seen enough nightmare material over the past week or so – over six months worth if you count the _actual_ nightmares – to last a lifetime. "Show me, please." I say finally.

"Oh-kay…" Mario replies, definitely hesitant, but he presses the rewind button on the television nonetheless. The camera recordings are in black-and-white, kind of surprising for a manor with a state-of-the-art security system… I'd think colour-rendering cameras would work so much better. But what do I know? I'm not the one running this organization or this manor…

My musing ceases when I hear a cry of, "Lucas, I'm very sorry for this!" from the television; Mario has finished rewinding the tape and is playing it now. Zelda saying those exact words was the last thing I remember before I blacked out from whatever she did to me… it _looks_ like it was a sleep spell, anyway. The security camera's viewing angle has me placed slightly to the bottom-right of the screen, with everyone else who was present visible. I can tell that the sleeping spell was successful; my eyes are closed and I'm not screaming anymore, but my body is twitching more violently now that I have no control over it.

"This is where it gets scary…" Ness says back in reality; I hadn't noticed him standing beside me until he spoke. It startled me a bit, but my focus was still mostly on the video.

"Wh-why is he still moving!?" the Ness in the recording cries out with obvious concern for my health.

"I… I don't know!" Zelda replies helplessly. "He's definitely asleep! His body is moving on its own!"

Despite only being grayscale, the camera produces a very clear image of what is happening to me. My fingers are growing slightly longer, including the nails… like claws. My hair also appears to be changing colour, but due to the black-and-white visual I can't tell to what colour. No one surrounding me is speaking, their mouths are agape with morbid fascination and terror. Then I hear a loud "rip" noise, accompanied by my body bolting upright, but then twisting to lay on its side… the reason for this was that something sprouted out of my back; they look like… bat wings…

I gulp in spite of myself upon realizing just what I've turned into… it's the exact same creature that I saw in my reflection in my nightmare. A… a… "Wha… what is this!? What's happening to him!?" Toon says from the video, causing me to redirect my attention to it again.

"I-I, uh…" Zelda stammers. "I don't know… I mean, I know what it _looks_ like… but that's impossible!"

"Damnit, we need to get help!" Link said, picking up my limp, demonized body. "I'll take him to Peach, you guys keep going after Master Hand!" he orders.

Master Hand… wait, that's right! We were supposed to be here getting answers out of him! I look to Ness with wide eyes, and he looks away. I can feel some regret from him. "He wasn't here, Lucas…" Zelda says from the other side of the room to capture my attention. "He hasn't come back ever since he left for Mute City." she explains to me. I curse mentally; of course Master Hand wouldn't be that stupid… she then smiles and says, "But on a lighter note, Captain Falcon _did_ tell everyone what was going on."

So Captain Falcon _did_ come straight here… that's a big relief. At least now I won't have to worry about Smashers harassing me for answers… instead I'll have to worry about them smothering me with affection, which can be just as bad… "And Zelda told us everything that happened after that." Peach finished for her, bending down and bringing me into a hug. It's thankfully not as tight as Ness' this is actually comfortable and warm… I'm already remembering Princia's sweet embrace as a result. "You've been through so much, Lucas… I only wish we could've been of more help." she says sorrowfully.

"A-ah, that's okay… it wasn't your fault…" I say to her, blushing a little. Peach was the kind of person who never hid her emotions away and always expresses herself however possible. She's kind and compassionate even to Bowser, who seems to have a running streak of kidnapping her… I'd wondered how someone as light-hearted as her became a Smasher at first, until I went on a mission with her. Ever since then, I made a mental note to stay out of her way whenever she had an umbrella in hand.

"I still-a can't believe-a Master Hand would-a do such a thing…" Mario says bitterly.

"It really is ridiculous!" Peach says with a sudden fire in her eyes. "What good would murdering this sweet, innocent child do him anyway? This 'Shadow' or whatever he's called would still be around, wreaking havoc!" While this sparks a discussion about how foolish Master Hand is, I take time to think about what Peach just said… she's right. I do seem to be a pivotal part of Shadow's plan, whatever it may be, but merely destroying his plan wouldn't solve the problem. That Eternal would still be around, still be alive to concoct another fiendish scheme.

Although… how could we be rid of Shadow, a being that transcends life and death? I'm beginning to see why Master Hand would go so far as to destroy someone within his own organization. How else do you fight something that can't be destroyed, other than by ruining schemes as they come? As painful and saddening as it is for me to admit, that right-handed glove might actually have been justified in trying to kill me… but surely there has to be another way! He simply didn't look hard enough!

"Whining about it isn't going to solve anything." says a new voice, interrupting the conversation as well as my train of thought. We all turn around to see that Falco has entered the room. He's an avian anthromorph with blue feathers and wears a dull-white jackets and black pants. The feathers around his eyes are red, and he has a short yellow beak. He always has a laser pistol holstered to his side. He's one of the mercenary Smashers alongside Fox and Wolf, two other anthromorphic people from his world, though they prefer to work separately. "Fact is, Master Hand is gone without a trace." His voice like that of the generic tough-guy, only a tad nasal. Oddly fitting for him. "I'm more worried about what we're going to do about _that_."

Falco points his feathered hand – or is it a wing? Apparently he can't fly with it… -- to the television screen with the still image of Link carrying away my transformed body. He correct, right now this was the most pressing issue. "I still don't know how that happened… those cells Shadow put in him died off, how could they still affect him in such a way?" Peach wonders.

Oh… that's right. I hadn't told them yet… about my own theory. "Uhh… I think I might know why…" Why did I say that? Now everyone is looking at me… I hate pressure like this. "Umm… Shadow doesn't really die, he just comes back every time… maybe his cells can do the same thing?"

Peach and Mario look at each other, but everyone else keeps looking at me like I'm crazy. Ugh, I need to stop making analogies like that... "It's possible…" Zelda says, causing me to panic; did she just read my mind!? "We know almost nothing about Shadow other than that he's an Eternal. He could've done any number of things to Lucas when he bit him…" I inwardly sigh with relief… she was only responding to my hypothesis, not my thoughts about question my sanity. Whew. "That vaccine that the Magican people are preparing won't be ready for at least a couple of days. We need to figure out what to do with Lucas for the time being."

"Well, we could hang garlic up around the manor…" Ness jokes… again, pitifully.

This time I can't resist the urge to whack him on the head… at least until Paula does it before I get the chance. He yelps in pain as Falco laughs. "Nah, Wario would eat it all like a game of Pac-Man." I would've laughed if it weren't true… Wario likes garlic so much, the stench in his breath literally stuck to people who he bit during exhibition matches. I'm glad I wasn't one of those unfortunate souls…

I look back at the television set one last time… and that's when I realize; I was transformed then, but right now I'm still human. Why is that? They both just said they didn't know what happened to me, meaning they shouldn't have known what to do… so why aren't I a monster now? "So, Miss Peach, Mister Mario…" I address them both. "How did you get me back to normal?"

The moment I finish asking this, they both grit their teeth and look at each other. I get the distinct feeling I've asked something that I shouldn't have. "Umm, well…" Peach begins. "We didn't. It reversed on its own, two hours before you woke up." My eyes widen… reversed on its own? Damn it… any hopes I was beginning to have about being cured were dashed before they could arise. "We honestly have no idea what's happening to you… but we'll try to find out. I promise." she reassures me. "But what to do with you until then…?"

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I didn't really like the decision that Peach and Mario had eventually agreed upon, but I reluctantly had to accept it; they wanted to keep me at the medical lab, near a healing fluid tube – technically called a "Restoration Tube" – so that I could be safely monitored. It was annoying and a bit scary, having to be kept in this room for the whole day and whole night… I mean I _feel_ fine, but I know deep down that I'm not; my mind is growing more and more unstable by the day, and there is still no clear indication of what this transformation really is. For all we know it could be a danger to myself and everyone around me… hurting my friends is the last thing I want to do, so I don't want to take any unnecessary risks until I know for sure what I've become, and more importantly how to deal with it.

Being stuck in a single room has made the day go slowly, however… other than meals that Peach brought me, the only thing that's happened to me since this morning was a visit from Ness, Paula, Toon, Nana and Popo. The latter two are otherwise known as the "Ice Climbers," twin children with Nana being the girl and Popo being the boy. Any thoughts of sibling rivalry are greatly exaggerated with them; they do almost everything together, not the least of which is scale mountains – hence their title – and I've yet to see them have a single disagreement. They always seem to be wearing pink and blue clothing respectively. Seeing the twins often reminds me of Claus… I can't help but wonder where he is now, or more importantly, who brought him back to life…

Not having any television or personal computers in the medical lab, the six of us had settled for playing board games until lunch time. Nothing of interest had happened after that, just me moping and pacing around this lab waiting for supper… looking at the clock of one of the computer terminals, the time read 6:57 PM. Supper wasn't usually this late… unless…

The door swung open, and Peach walked in, carrying a wheel-tray with a pair of hamburgers and an orange drink. "Sorry for being so late! We were having a barbecue, and Kirby decided not to wait for the rest of us to eat…" she explains. I thought so… Kirby, despite being little more than a pink ball with red shoes, had the biggest appetite out of anyone in the mansion; in fact, the ability to eat some enemies and copy their powers is what he's most known for. I once wound up getting taste of my own PK Freeze in an exhibition match as a result.

"How does someone so small eat so much?" I ask her, taking a hamburger off of the tray and biting into it. Peach merely shrugged; it was a mystery to everyone, including Kirby himself… this manor is full of weird-types. I remind myself that it's probably wise not to pry into the mysteries of this place's tenants. After all, I wouldn't like it if someone suddenly blurted out all of _my_ well-kept secrets… hopefully Ness, Paula, Link and Toon will keep their mouths shut about my past.

_Ba-dump._

"Ah!" I gasp, my entire body becoming completely rigid as a spike of nigh-unbearable pain shoots through my entire being. I barely even notice the hamburger slipping out of my hand.

"Lucas?" Peach says, immediately at my side. "What's wrong!?"

The reply I let out wasn't the one I was hoping to give the princess, and probably not what she wanted to hear: a long, agonizing scream. It feels like my whole body is one fire… just like last night… I collapse to the ground, my body starting to convulse in a barely-controlled manner again. All I can do to stop the pain is wrap my arms around my sides again; it feels like they're about to burst… "I-it's… happening again…"

I lift my head up to see the look of horror on Peach's face, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh no, oh no oh no oh no…" she repeats helplessly. "What do I do!?"

"D-don't ask… _me_…!" I grunt out, understanding by nonetheless peeved at the princess' inability to help me. I would normally ask someone to knock me out, just like last time, but I know Peach better than that; she wouldn't harm a hair on her allies' heads. Suddenly the place where my fingers are pressed against my body sharply sting, so I yank them away. My upper jaw begins to ache, making my head shoot up and causing me to cry out in agony, when suddenly something around my upper-back causes me to recoil forward. I struggle to stay upright so that my head doesn't impact the floor tiles… I can now feel burning on a place that is clearly _not_ my back, but a little bit behind it… it's really weird.

Then, as quickly as it had came, the burning sensation and horrible pain… completely ceases. My body has become completely numbed. I fall forward, quickly getting my hands against the floor for support. I can't help but pant in fervent exhaustion, and I can see sweat dripping from my face. I can feel a very strange weight on my back… "Lucas…!" Peach gasps out. "You've… transformed again!"

It's only now that I get a good look at my hands, and then figure out why they hurt so much when I was holding my sides; the fingers were becoming claws. My jaw still has a very slight ache, and I feel the points where it was… my incisor teeth have become longer and much sharper than before. What happened to me!? "G-get me a mirror!" I ask Peach. It seems that the princess just so happens to have a pocket mirror handy… or rather a miniature make-up kit. I shouldn't be surprised. She holds the mirror in front of me so I can look at myself… but find that I _can't_. Despite having pointed the mirror directly at my face, I only see the back of the room in its reflection. "I can't see myself…"

Peach raises her eyebrows and, apparently deciding to see this for herself, sets the mirror down in front of me and runs behind me. My eyes follow her until I'm between her and the mirror before looking back at it, and I only see the princess. Not myself. Her horrified expression is no-less unnerving in reflection than in reality. "Oh my God…" she gasps out. "Are you alright? How do you feel?"

"Uhh… I feel…" It takes me time to give her a response… the numbness is beginning to fade, but it's still difficult to discern pain from simple discomfort at the moment. Once I regain some feeling, I notice my stomach feeling oddly hot, and my throat… it's really parched. "Thirsty…" I reply finally, searching for the nearest source of relief, the orange drink in this case. I quickly snatch the glass and attempt to chug down the juice… "AGH!" The moment the water hits my tongue, it feels like it's caught fire, as well as whatever slipped down my throat. I drop the glass in my haste, hearing in shatter to the floor as I clutch my throat – carefully since I now have claws – and start coughing. "It _burns_!" This stinging is so intense that it should bring tears to my eyes, in fact it feels like I'm about to cry, but strangely it just doesn't happen…

I look at Peach with pleading eyes, desperately wanting an explanation for what's happening to me. I can feel that she is very uncertain about something, but I don't know what… "Lucas, stay right here, I'll be right back." the princess says finally, ignoring both her make-up kit and now-empty food and its contents on the floor as she rushed out of the room.

"W-wait! Where are you--" The door closes before I can even finish my question. Did she just… run off? Did she run away out of fear? Of… _me_? No, that's ridiculous; Peach doesn't care what her friends look like. She must have something planned… but as for what, I can only wonder until she returns. And it's an agonizing wait; my throat and tongue are still burning from drinking that juice, and my the burning in my stomach has also gotten worse… what on earth was in that drink!?

Ten minutes later, Peach returns with not only a glass of red juice in her hand, but with all four my child-Smasher friends and Paula hot on her heels. "C'mon, _please_ tell me you're joking!" Ness says in a pleading tone.

"Well, if you have a better suggestion Ness, then I'm all for it!" Peach fires back, showing anger that she rarely ever uses. Ness promptly backs off, and Peach hands me the glass. I look at the drink contained in the glassware with skepticism; the only red drinks I remember the Manor having are either Caesar's or alcohol. I'm not allowed to drink the latter, and the former is simply to spicy for me… Peach knows that. What other red drinks could we have here? I smell it… then through either familiarity or simple instinct, I know what this drink is. And it's not meant to be something you drink. This is _blood_.

Princess Peach is the last person in all of the infinite dimensions I'd expect to be angry at, but I can't withhold my protest at this gesture. "Are you _crazy_!? You expect me to drink _this_!?" I complain with a shout… an unwise decision, as it only makes my throat feel worse.

"I don't know what else to do!" Peach says, trying not to shout herself. "Please, just try it…" I look at her; she's no more enthusiastic than I am about _purposely_ drinking blood… the hapless children who accompanied her seemed equally disgusted. Ness and Toon blinked in anticipation, Nana and Popo gulped in unison, and Paula looks like she's about to faint. I really, _really_ don't like this idea, but… trying to drink the orange juice made things worse, and the thirst and burning in my stomach are about to cross the line between uncomfortable and painful. It looks like I have no choice…

I take a sip of the blood…

I'm expecting something terrible to happen the moment I swallow it… but instead, I feel… better. The burning in my throat _and_ my stomach became incredibly less painful. I stare wide-eyed at the glass, making no effort to hide my surprise. "P-Paula!" Ness suddenly shouts out, causing me to look at him kneeling beside his fallen girlfriend; it looks like she really _did_ faint. Toon and Popo are staring at me with dropped jaws, and Nana and Peach are covering their mouths to hide their own expressions. I can still feel their shock, though.

"…I can _not_ believe you just did that." Toon says, unable to do anything else but stare.

"…Neither can I…" I respond, looking back at the glass of blood. Still with the burning, I see no harm in seeing if another sip will cure the sensation completely. I drink again… it taste kind of tangy, but oddly refreshing. I hadn't even realized that I drank the whole glass until there was no more blood entering my mouth.

Toon quickly yanks the glass out of my hand. "Okay, that's enough! You already did it once…"

I can feel my face blush… I wonder how it looks to them? "I was… thirsty…" I reply with embarrassment.

"Miss Peach, does this mean Lucas is a…" Nana says, gulping before she finishes… inwardly I'm hoping she doesn't say it, but there's nothing I can do to stop her. "Vampire…?"

Now all eyes, except for the unconscious Paula's, are on Peach. She crosses her arms in front of her chest, showing very deep concern. "I'd like to say it's impossible, but… I really don't know what else this could mean! The blood making him feel better, no reflection in the mirror…"

"No reflection!?" Ness shouts out, looking at the make-up kit on the floor and quickly running in front of me to look… then behind me when he realizes his own body would obscure mine from view. I look back at him, and his eyes are wide with terror. "Man, that is just… creepy…"

"That is an understatement!" Popo said, he, Nana and Toon also running behind me to get a look for themselves.

Peach shakes her head. "There's no other explanation…" She looks at me sorrowfully. "Lucas… you've become a… vampire…"

A terrible, uneasy silence fills the room as I fall on my bottom, unable to speak… unable to _move_… the sheer weight of what has happened to me this night have left me totally speechless and terrified. I've become a creature of myth… a vampire… I… I don't know what I'm going to do… what _can_ I do? I have no idea anymore… it was bad enough when Shadow was messing with my mind, but now my body too!? Why is he doing this to me!?

I let out a shaking sob and let my head fall gently to the ground, trying to cry but only able to make the motions and sounds, still not the tears… the only thing I know for sure now, is that my life will never be the same again…

* * *

**A/N:** And now, a little quiz for you loyal viewers: why, of all things, a vampire? Please read and review!


	18. Chapter 17: Blood

**A/N:** I'm sorry I made you wait for so long; I had to prepare for a test in my class. Next week, I'll try to make a double-update to make up for this.

* * *

_Chapter 17: Blood_

I never thought that my life could become any darker than it already was… it all started on that horrible day when my mother was mangled and ripped apart before my very eyes, a memory that haunts me non-stop. Then I was forced to strike down my own brother to try and save my world, but instead I doomed it, merely being whisked away into another world and having no choice but to fight again. Then this whole business with Shadow started; ever since I met him at that tower at Mute City, the following days of my life have been full of nothing but disaster… and now _this_, not only slowly becoming a monster mentally, but fully becoming one _physically_.

Ever since I learned about the sad truth that I've become a vampire earlier this night, the thought of what would happen to me next has been plaguing me. With no known way to remove this supernatural affliction and no idea what else to do, Peach – after consulting Mario on the matter – decided to send me off to bed. I had suggested using the Restoration Tube, but reportedly it had no affect at all when my vampiric form was dunked in it before, as if I were perfectly healthy. A notion that I scoffed at then and still do now; looking at these claws and bringing my new wings in front of me to look at, this state is something I would definitely _not_ call healthy. I _still_ can't believe that I had to drink actual blood! Not just because it's a repulsive thought to begin with, but because I'd think I would've lost control again… perhaps I was simply too shocked at the idea and too angry at Peach at the time to really notice, I don't know.

It angers me to ridiculous levels, knowing that this is probably Shadow's plan. He knows I go crazy at the sight of blood, and as a vampire, it will be impossible for me to avoid as I need it to live. I could need to take blood from the nearest source, then go directly into bloodlust and insanity after my hunger is sated… it wasn't a chance that Peach took again; so that I wouldn't go thirsty in the middle of the night, she brought me a couple of bottles full of blood – opaque bottles so that I couldn't see it – and prayed that sleep would put a stop to my vampiric needs for now. It's a good thing that the Manor has its own blood bank for emergencies, that was where Peach got it from. But as much as I was hoping her plan would work, I don't think she thought it all the way through; the simple realization that I've become a vampire has had so much of an impact on me that sleeping has been all but impossible. So being unable to sleep and not wanting to disturb the sleeping Smashers, all I can do is lay on my bed awake, taking small sips of blood from the bottles whenever I feel thirsty or simply want to, trying to think of a future for myself that is impossible to predict…

It's probably a good thing that I hear a knock on my door now, as it takes me away from this depressing train of thought. Some residents of the Smash Manor are night owls, but who among them would care about me enough to visit me now of all times? "May I come in?"

It's the voice of a female, one that I immediately feel relieved and a little excited upon hearing. It's been over a week… she must've been worried sick about me. What will she think when she sees me? "Of course." I reply, hopping off of my bed, unlocking the door and opening it.

On the other side is a young woman that can quite simply be described as "beautiful." Her name is Lyn, a noble from her world; her full name is Lyndis, though she prefers the shorter version. She has long green hair tied up in a ponytail and is wearing a blue dress, one of those kinds that show off more of her legs than they probably should be, though it has full-length sleeves for the arms. Her famed katana, the Mani Katti, is strapped to her waist; it's not at all strange for her to be dressed in her battle attire in the middle of the night, as she is usually training and is a little less laid back than the rest of us. In matches, she comes as an "Assist Trophy" that attacks the opponent of the one who called her out, usually blowing them away in a single hit.

Her title as a resident of the Manor is similar, an Assistant; she is only allowed on missions if she is invited by another Smasher. Oftentimes it's usually me who vouches for her; Lyn's skill with a blade easily dwarfs Link's and possibly even Meta Knight's, but as she isn't a real Smasher this is usually overlooked, something that burns me up inside. Like me, she also lost her parents in a tragic attack on her home village; while she doesn't yet know what happened to _my_ parents, we are still very close friends and have been ever since I arrived at the Manor. I often struggle who to call my best friend, Ness or Lyn…

As expected, she is quite surprised when she looks at the "new me" for the first time. While usually one of the most calm and composed people living at the Manor, this time she can't suppress a gasp or prevent her eyes from widening. "Is that… really you, Lucas?" she says in a whisper.

A whine escapes my lips before I respond. "Yes… this is me…"

I step out of the way to let Lyn into the room, and she quickly steps in a closes the door lightly. "I'd been hoping all of this business about vampires was a jest…" she says, her voice tinged with sorrow and pity. Her eyes drift to the bottles on my desk, then back at me. "You're not hurt, are you?" she asks.

If I had been asked that question in any other situation, I probably would've lost it. But this time there really was no visible indication of what kind of pain I could be feeling. "No, I'm alright. It just feels really weird…" I reply, flexing the wings on my back… the time I had being stuck in this twisted form has a least allowed me to adjust to it a bit. It's better than these wings acting as nothing but dead weight. "Lyn, what do I look like?" I ask spontaneously. "No one told me before I went to bed, and vampires don't cast reflections…"

She looks me over, walking around me with a hand to her chin. When Lyn comes into my view again, she has a slight smile on her face. "To be honest Lucas, you don't look very different." she tells me. "Your hair is brown, your skin is blue and your eyes are red, and of course there are the wings… but that being said, you still look human. It's actually not that bad of a mix."

This observation leaves me flabbergasted, not only because she the twisted version of myself that I saw in my nightmare, but that she doesn't seem at all put off by it. All I can say is, "Really…?"

"Really." Lyn replies. "It's not what I was expecting at all. Why, what did you think you looked like?"

Now that she mentions it, I hadn't given it much thought… I had only assumed my transformation was more monstrous, not like I had seen in my nightmare. "I… I didn't know…" I tell her. "But I didn't think I look like that… like in my nightmares…"

I bite my lip; I hadn't meant to say _that_! And it does capture her interest. "What do you mean?"

Well, there's no avoiding it now… I take a seat on the bed before I explain it to her. "The last nightmare I had in the morning… I was looking at myself in a mirror." I begin. "My reflection wasn't like me at all, it was so much more sinister… then, it transformed. It transformed into a vampire, looking exactly like you just described me…"

"Is that so…?" Lyn's voice gets a breathless quality to it; it's definitely not a normal nightmare… it would definitely creep me out if I weren't already distraught.

"I know, it's creepy…" I say, gaining a sarcastic smirk. "But it's better than the nightmares I _usually_ have…"

I bite my lip again; that's the second time I've let something slip that I didn't want her to hear. For some reason, this always happens to me when I speak with Lyn. Whenever we talk about our troubles together, I have this inexplicable urge to try and sympathize with her, and I've even dropped a few unintentional hints at how ugly my past was. She never pressed the issue before, but this time I've just invited her to do exactly that. "And what are your nightmares usually about?" she asks me, sitting on the bed beside me.

I fold my legs up to my chest and rest my forehead on my knees… there was no stepping around the issue now. "Death…" I tell her. "I see everyone back home dying… my mother, my brother, my friends… all of them, dying horrible deaths, and me dying with them…"

Again, my body begins to shake and I start to weep, but I don't cry… the tears simply refuse to form, despite that it _feels_ like I'm crying. Is this a gimmick of this new form, or have my tears simply dried up? "They're actually dead, aren't they?" Lyn asks suddenly.

I can't really express my surprise since I'm already crying, but she had guessed at it awfully quickly. All I can do is respond with a "Mm-hm…" from my quivering mouth.

Then I feel her hand on my shoulder. _This_ gets a physical reaction from me, making me jump a bit. I can feel my heart beating faster… this isn't the first time this has happened, either. Whenever I get really close to Lyn, my heart beats faster… but I still don't know what it could all mean. I look up at her, and she is smiling down at me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I _did_ want to talk about it. For some reason, I felt comfortable being totally open with Lyn… she was the only person I've _willingly_ discussed my past with, by my own decision. When I had finished explaining the tragedies that befell me at my former home, she had taken me into a sympathetic hug, saying that she hadn't inquired about it because she was waiting for me to be ready to talk about it. We both lost our parents in tragedies that could've and _should've_ been prevented, something we have in common… my heart was practically pumping a mile a minute while I was in her arms. I found it almost impossible to retain my gloomy attitude… why is this happening to me?

But all good things must come to an end; my thirst had hit again, prompting me to end the hug and grab a bottle of blood. A quick swig was all I needed, but it was enough to remind me that I didn't know what would happen to me next… I set the bottle down and told her, "I'm scared, Lyn… I… I don't know what's going to happen to me now…"

Lyn's finger touches my chin and lifts my head up so she can look me in the eye. "No matter what happens, you have to be strong, Lucas." she tells me. "You've been through the worst of what life can offer, and you've survived. I know you can survive this, as well."

I really do question whether or not I deserve the friends I have… they're all so optimistic, so strong, so defiant in the face of overwhelming odds and never afraid of the unknown. If only I had a sliver of the courage that they have…

--------------------

After our conversation had ended, I had to send Lyn out of my room, afraid of what might happen to her if she was around me for too long; I know about the classic stereotype of the vampire, how they enjoy biting the necks of their beautiful brides. I didn't want to put Lyn in that kind of danger, and while she was reluctant, she understood. Neither of us know enough about my new form to take any chances. Though with her wholly comforting presence gone, I was forced to return to my depressing mindset. But I would rather be gloomy than put my friends in danger.

I didn't get any sleep, but I wasn't exhausted… a trait I have to assume is part of being a vampire. They _do_ roam the night, so it's only fair to suspect that they are nocturnal. Using this lack of sleep deprivation to my advantage, I snuck my way down to the kitchen… it's early in the morning, just before seven o'clock. The Smashers don't usually begin their raiding of the cafeteria until 8:30 or something, so I might be able to get my breakfast without drawing attention to myself. Sometimes I have to force myself out of bed to get my meal for that very reason, as the cafeteria and kitchen are just plain chaos when they all wake up and demand nourishment.

The cafeteria wasn't chock-full yet, but to my dismay there _were_ people present. The first was Princess Peach, but that wasn't out of the ordinary; she's always up early to start cooking breakfast. The second was the mercenary Solid Snake; he always wears his combat suit that doubles as a camouflage suit, and is characterized by his blue headband, one of those kinds that let hair go through them. His hair is brown and always shortened as a result of that headband. His fighting style is quite different from that of the other Smashers, since he uses a bunch of military weapons to do battle. It's really weird to see in a match, but indispensable when we're on missions with him. Snake being here this early isn't strange either, he probably sleeps the least out of everyone here due to his rigorous army training.

The third and last person here is one of the last I expected to see, a blue anthromorphic hedgehog by the name of Sonic. He calls himself the "fastest thing alive," which could probably be true; there is no comparison when it comes to pure, raw speed. You can barely even see him when he's running, just a "blue blur," which is also another one of his nicknames. Whenever he isn't running or fighting – a rarity unless he's asleep – Sonic is usually quite laid back. That's why I'm surprised to see him up this early in the morning.

"Good morning." I say to everyone present.

Not surprisingly, everyone is staring at me wide-eyed. "Whoa! Is that you, Lucas!?" Sonic exclaims.

"Yes, this is the new me…" I reply with annoyance as I walk into the room and take a seat at the long table, sitting in front of the hedgehog. "How many people are going to gawk at me…?"

"N-no, I was gonna say that you look awesome!" Sonic replies, waving his hands in front of him apologetically. "I expected some kind of monster-thing…"

"Really?" I say, blinking. Lyn said something like that, too… "Well, so did I… I had to get Lyn to tell me what I looked like since I don't cast a reflection."

"Well, you don't look half-bad." Sonic says. "Creepy, but not too creepy."

Peach exits the kitchen area and sets a plate of pancakes down in front of Sonic, then says to me, "I didn't think you'd be up so early, Lucas."

I shrug at her and reply, "Thought I'd better get here before the rush." She nods in understanding; I'd rather not become this morning's entertainment, plus trying to dine in a civilized manner is almost impossible with all of the other Smashers around.

"Well in that case, what would you like for breakfast?" Peach asks me.

I look at Sonic, who has begun devouring his pancakes. "I'll have what he's having, I guess." Hopefully it won't burn my mouth like last time… though I don't dare say this out loud; Peach takes her cooking very seriously.

There's little to do while I wait… Snake is just leaning back against his chair, I'm waiting patiently for my pancakes and Sonic is quickly scarfing his own pancakes down. I don't think he does _anything_ slow. My eyes wander to the clock on the wall, watching the second hand tick away. There's nothing else for me to do while I wait but watch the clock strike seven…

_Ba-dump._

"Ooh!?" My body… just gave a huge twitch. Followed by a horrible burning sensation… it's just like before. A wave of pain shoots up my spine. "AGH!" I cry out, barely noticing that I'm falling over in my chair. The resulting crash is lost on me; the agony has hit me so hard and so suddenly, that it's making me dizzy.

"Lucas!?" I hear Peach shriek. I can't see her, my convulsions have made me go face down. It hurts! It feels like my body is being ripped apart and burnt to a crisp at the same time!

Then, the pain went away as suddenly as it had came. Whether I've just grown used to it or if it was so intense that I lost my concept of time, I'm not sure. All I know is that I can feel beads of sweat falling from my face. I look up to see the worried faces of Sonic and Peach looking down at me. "What… happened!?" I pant out. Neither of them replies, instead Peach takes something out of her dress… her mini make-up kit. She quickly opens it and points the mirror at me.

I can see myself. As a human.

"I'm… back to normal…?" I say, out of breath. Peach only nods.

I don't have the chance to grasp the weight of what's happened to me, though. "I've seen that before…" The subject is quickly shifted away from me when not only Sonic, but even Snake utters those words. The mercenary hasn't moved from his seat. Peach and I look at them both, and they are looking at each other.

"Uhh…" My head lolls to the side, trying to grasp how awkward this has just become. I hadn't expected Sonic to have any familiarity with something like this, but every perception I had of Solid Snake just shattered into a million pieces; _he_ comes from a high-tech, militaristic world. I can't even _begin_ to imagine where vampires would fit into that kind of setting. "Explain?" is all I can say to either of them.

After setting my chair back up and everyone retaking their seats – and Peach scuttling off to continue making breakfast, but still within earshot – Sonic is the first to explain his experience. "Well, it wasn't to do with a vampire, but… that's definitely happened to me before." He begins. "It's when I was fighting a creature called 'Dark Gaia.' I was infected with some of his energy, making me turn into a monster at night… I called it a 'Werehog.'" Werehog… I immediately picture a cross between Sonic and Wolf. I'm sure that's wrong, though. "I was a big brute with powerful arms that could stretch." Nope, I wasn't even close. "But when daytime rolled around, I turned back to normal."

When I notice his references to night and day, I think I'm starting to get what he's saying. "You mean you were a… 'Werehog' thing at night, and yourself during the day?"

"Yeah." Sonic nods. "It was weird… but it helped me out a lot. I lost the powers when I beat up Dark Gaia, though."

"And you think this is what's causing Lucas' transformations?" Snake interjects.

"Uh-huh."

At first I don't think it's that simple, but now that I think about it, it was around seven o'clock PM when I changed into a vampire before. And now it was seven o'clock _AM_ when I switched back. "Come to think of it, it was in the morning when Lucas changed back to normal yesterday." Peach says. "That must be it. I should've realized it sooner… I'm sorry, Lucas."

"Oh no, don't apologize, Miss Peach." I reply. "It's not your fault, we were all confused until now." Maybe it was a good thing that I was distracted before I could beam with joy, after all; I would've only been more depressed and shocked if I transform into a vampire again tonight. I'm not looking forward that… well, now to tackle another issue that has me baffled. My gaze shifts over to Snake and I ask him, "So what about you, Mister Snake? How did _you_ come across a vampire?"

He grunts in acknowledgement. "It was part of a mission for my military, so I can't say much about it…" Oh… that's right. From what I know, Snake works for a top-secret military organization, or something like that. It goes without saying that their operations are classified. "But I _can_ tell you about the vampire, or rather _half_-vampire. His name is Django, from a town called San Miguel. But his transformation is different from yours; he can change at will." As I've come to expect from Snake, he isn't very generous about the details, but what little he said has caught my attention. "Who knows? If you could learn how to change forms on your own, it could be really useful."

Now _there_ was something I hadn't considered; using my vampiric form for my own benefit? "Hey, yeah! That's not a bad idea!" Sonic adds. "You could fly all over the place, and I'd bet you'd pack quite a punch!"

"Hold on, you two." Peach interrupts, giving Snake his pancakes. "That could be really dangerous. Vampires are evil creatures, living off of darkness and sucking blood out of living people… and that's only what the myths say. I wouldn't put too much faith in it if I you."

The notion of being super-powerful does appeal slightly, but it's far-outweighed by the risks. "Miss Peach is right, the only thing we know for sure about it is that Shadow did it to me." I say… and frankly, that alone was reason enough for me not to trust it. "We just don't know enough about it… I think we should find a way to cure it before something bad happens."

"I agree. It's for the best." Peach concurs before scuttling off to make another stack of pancakes… hopefully mine.

"Maybe I should take a trip back to Magica how progress on the cure is coming…" I suggest. If Ness were here, he'd think it's an excuse for me to see Princia again… I'm glad he's still asleep, or at least hasn't arrived here yet. Still though, it would be nice to check in with her, to see how her kingdom is recovering from Shadow's and Claus' rampage through their inner sanctum… but what would the Magican Princess think if she saw my other self?

"I was just thinking about that." Peach says to me from the kitchenette. "I was going to go there after everyone was fed, but… I don't think you should come."

Thoughts of seeing Princia are promptly halted. "What? Why not!?" I protest.

"Because it's a long trip." Peach argues. "You could transform again, and I'd rather you be here where help is available." I growl; unfortunately, she has a point… the only two places with people suitable to take care of me now were here and at Magica, and Magica was just too far away. And knowing that makes me realize that I'm essentially house-ridden until something can be done about this… though maybe it's better if Princia doesn't see me transformed. What would she think if she saw me as a monster?

--------------------

The rest of the day went by smoothly, much to my disbelief. Although, since I spent most of it locked in my room, there wasn't much that could happen to me. It was the first time in a long while that I had a chance to really relax in my own home – or at least the place I've come to call home – and I didn't dare waste it. All of these tragedies and all of this moving around were really wearing on me… I needed time to refresh my mind.

As Peach had kept to her word and did indeed set off for Magica – with Mario in tow – when the Smashers were given their breakfasts, my meals were instead made and delivered by one of her servant Toads. They are small humanoid creatures only half of my height, two-thirds of which is made up of their massive polka-dot mushroom heads, but they are surprisingly strong and resilient. Peach always brings one along, both on missions and in matches; in the latter, she holds it out as a counter-attacker, and when it's struck it releases a bunch of harmful spores. I had made the mistake of misfiring a PK Fire into one and was worried for _his_ health, when it was really mine that was in danger. Since then, I've never judged anything solely by size.

Between meals, I've had plenty of time to think. I made sure to eat and drink plenty so that I wouldn't be thirsty for blood should I transform, or at least that's the theory. As seven o'clock PM fast approaches, I really _should_ be frantic about whether or not Sonic's words are true, that I'll turn into a vampire when night sets in… but at the moment it's an afterthought; what I've really been obsessing over is my brother… having been brought back from the grave. I hadn't the chance to think about it when my friends were in danger back at Magica, but now that they're safe, at the moment I find myself worrying about Claus' well-being more than my own. Shadow said that he was resurrected in order to dispose of me; even if he speaks the truth, surely Claus' actions aren't set in stone! If only I could meet with him, talk with him… get him to tell me why he's doing this, then we might be able to straighten those whole situation out. But according to that Eternal, Claus isn't aware of his actions… he must be being controlled again. But I freed him once, there's no reason I can't do it again, isn't there? Even if it results in his death like last time… I can't stand it, knowing he is being controlled against his will again. And there was still the unknown party that brought him back in the first place… why would they do this? Why bring back Claus' tortured soul for the sole purpose of destroying me?

Argh, there are so many questions that need to be answered; why Giygas and Shadow want me to lose my sanity, why Master Hand would want me dead, why someone would go so far as to resurrect my late brother to try and kill me… there is just no way that it's coincidence. There is something going on, something big, and I'm going to have to solve this mystery if I intend to survive it all.

I notice a blanket of darkness overtake my room; the sun is setting… I glance at the wall clock; in thirty seconds, it will be seven o'clock PM.

_Twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty seven…_

I've quickly gained those butterflies in my stomach that I was supposed to have earlier. If it is true that I transform into a vampire during the night, then it's going to happen very soon…

_Twenty-one, twenty…_

I'm not looking forward to this… I don't want to count down the seconds until my body becomes stiff and twitchy with agony again, but I can't help it.

_Nine, eight, seven, six…_

Here it comes… please let it be mercifully brief…

_Three, two, one, zero._

As my body convulses straight upwards with what feels like an electric shock coursing up my spine, I know that my worst fears are confirmed. It's happening again… I'm transforming again. I use what little control I have left over my body to curl up into a fetal position on the bed, partially so that my random motions don't make me smack into something by accident, partially out of instinct to try and dull the pain; the latter is a complete failure. I can almost hear every fiber of my physical and spiritual being crying out in protest as I become something that shouldn't exist. All I can do is try to prevent my mouth from echoing those screams, gritting my teeth and growling out hoarsely as I try to bite back against the pain. I have to keep telling myself that it's only for a moment… it'll go away eventually…

And it does do that. The intense burning in my body subsides, save for my throat and in my stomach, and I'm staring down at my hands which have morphed into blue claws… just like last night. Despite almost gorging myself at supper time, it still feels like I'm painfully parched and starving. Did everything I ingested just disappear or something? Darn, I was really hoping that would work… mind you it _is_ somewhat tempting to drink blood again, but I know that's just the vampire in me talking. I remind myself that it's only for the sake of survival, not delicacy or habit, before I reach for the bottles of blood from last night. I unscrew the lid of one and take a drink…

Then immediately spit it back into the battle; it tastes vile! I immediately set the bottle down, turn on the desk lamp and peer inside of it. It looks… murky. Well, as murky as blood can be. That's right, blood will only last for so long under normal living conditions. It needs to be refrigerated to some extent so it will keep… this blood has clearly gone bad. Even as a vampire, my gut tells me that drinking this is a bad idea. But my throat is almost burning…!

Well, crap. Peach and Mario are indisposed, so I don't have anyone to go and fetch fresh blood from the manor's blood bank for me. That means I have to go and get some on my own. Hopefully they won't be mad about it… I hop off of my bed, getting readjusted to my new body – the wings in particular – before exiting my room and praying that no one sees me like this…

--------------------

It seems I've had a very rare and very welcome stroke of luck; this is Tuesday night, or more specifically, "Game Night." The Smashers who aren't on a mission right now will be gathered in the common room playing card games, board games and video games, and those who aren't interested will be hiding away in their rooms in fear of being dragged into the chaos. That meant that no one would be prowling the halls, so my only obstacle was finding the location of the blood bank, which was quickly abolished when I checked the map. It's just a couple of doors down from the room with the Restoration Tubes. Of course there would be security cameras watching my every move, but really, what would the others expect? Taking blood from here is the only thing I can do short of sucking _their_ blood, and that's exactly what I'm hoping to avoid. I don't want to hurt them…

I'm not expecting the door to be unlocked, but when I turn the knob, it surprisingly just pushes open. It wasn't even closed. That's weird… did Peach forget to lock it the last time she was in here? No, she's too meticulous about neatness and tidiness to just leave the door open. And I don't imagine anyone else had a reason to go in there; no one has needed a blood transfusion in a while, and since the manor is a relatively small community, word would've traveled fast. Either Peach left the door open specifically for me, or something isn't right.

Wary, I enter the room in search of my sustenance. I don't have to look far, entering an isle of the wide room stacked with nothing but corked beakers full of the red source of life. This room had to be at least nine more isles wide; there had to be enough blood in here to fill the river that I nearly drowned in… because my mom saved m— I quickly smack myself mentally. I can't have another episode now, all I need to do is grab a beaker or two and get out. But these ones are rather small… I don't imagine I need very much, but I would like enough to fill the two bottles in my room. I need bigger ones than this… I slip over to the isle to the left of this one, but the beakers are smaller in this one. So I try the _other_ side, and hit pay-dirt. These blood beakers are wide and tall; one would fill a whole bottle. I notice that two are missing from this end of the isle… they must've been the ones that Peach used to fill the bottles before. I'd rather not be stealing if I can help it, but it's far better than the alternative. I reach up to grab a beaker from the row that's already missing a couple…

Only to see it vanish in a blur of grey and black. "Well, if it isn't the little vampire going for a late-night snack." says a gruff, sinister voice. Slowly I turn around, shaking, until I come face-to-face with Wolf O'Donnell. He's another mercenary from Falco's world, a wolf anthromorph, donned in his black battle armor. His fur is grey and has black, fingerless gloves that show off his claws… one of which is holding the beaker of blood I was about to take.

A deep belly-laugh sounds from the other end of the isle. "And you-a complain about-a _me_ stealing-a things!" I whip around to see Wario walking over to me. He wears a yellow hat with a "W" emblem and purple overalls, his moustache is styled into a zig-zag pattern and he wears blue eyeliner. You could picture an evil, fatter Mario and often come up with him as a result. Wario works for a company called "Microgame$," but is better known for being a treasure hunter… though he steals more treasure than he actually finds himself.

I should've suspected that these two would show their ugly mugs eventually… Wolf and Wario could be justly classified as the bullies of Super Smash Brothers. They make a hobby out of teasing and preying on people whenever opportunity knocks, especially the weak and sensitive ones. They've been a thorn in my side ever since I joined this organization, and becoming a vampire is apparently another excuse for them to bother me. This I do not want, not now. "There's a difference between stealing for fun and stealing to _live_!" I retort to Wario.

"Huh! You wouldn't have to if you'd just suck it out like a _real_ vampire. Instead you get Peach to spoon-feed you." Wolf jeers, and I turn around to face him with a red face – I _think_ it's red, it would be if I were in human form – and see him shaking the beaker as if to prove his point.

Now he was starting to cross a serious line; it wasn't enough that he was treating me badly because I was a vampire, now he's egging me on about being a coward? "Well, what do you _want_ me to do!? Suck _your _blood!?" I shout at him.

"I bet you wouldn't dare!" Wolf challenges. I do _not_ have patience for this. I try to grab the beaker out of his hand, but he throws it across the room. I look up in concern; Peach would throw a huge fit if someone made a mess in here. Wario catches it, though I'm not sure whether to call it fortunate or unfortunate. Of all the possible gags… they're playing catch with the beaker just to make sure _I_ don't get it.

"Take it if you want it so badly, then." I say to them both, not willing to play their sick little game. "I'll just take _this_ one."

I take another beaker from the rack and try to be on my way… but Wolf blocks my path. The anger that rises within me then is so intense that I can hardly hold it back… "Wise-guy, huh?" he growls. Before I can react, Wolf slashes at my beaker, his claws painfully scraping my hand…

Something happens to me then… I can feel sinister urge for vengeance bubbling up in me. This anthromorph… just slashed the blood out of my hand. I need that blood to live… he's… is he trying to make me _die_!? What right does he have to let me die!? _HE_ SHOULD DIE!

It's as if my body moves on its own; instead of clutching the wound like I normally would – which doesn't sting that badly for some reason – that hand instead flies up as a fist and knocks Wolf squarely in his muzzle. He lets out a whimper, the whimper like a dog would make when in pain, as he flies up into the air then lands on his back.

It felt so… satisfying. This person who had caused me so much pain, who was preventing me from getting what I needed… it felt so good to give him what was his, so good in fact that I don't want to stop. Wolf landed a few feet away from me, and if I weren't so focused on him, I would be very surprised at how quickly I covered the distance. I pin him down to the ground like the dirty animal he is and scream at him, "Are you _trying_ to prevent me from drinking blood!? ARE YOU TRYING TO _KILL_ ME!? How about I take _your_ blood, you filthy_ bitch_!"

And I waste no time doing just that. I bare my fangs and move my mouth to his neck, ignoring the fur as I bite down as hard as I can. His blood spurts out onto my tongue, and I can feel his body buckling and twitching beneath me in helpless agony, trying and failing miserably to wrench his throat out of my mouth. I swallow the sweet fluid of life as it gushes out. His screams are music to my ears… if my mouth weren't full, I would be laughing…

"STOP!" a voice shouts from behind me before something grabs the back of my shirt and yanks me off of Wolf. I'm sent hurtling through the air, but I twist around and land on my feet. How did I do that…? I look back at the anthromorph to see Wario beside him, looking at the blood pooling around the holes in his neck, then back at me… his face is the very definition of fear and disbelief.

I freeze in place. Wolf pinned down to the ground, writhing helplessly, bleeding… the taste of that blood on my lips… did… did _I_ do… that…?

Oh _God_… what have I done…!?

I… I think I'm going to be sick… my legs buckle beneath me and I fall to my knees, landing on my hands before I throw up a mix of bile and blood… my body is shaking so badly, whether from the horror or the sickness I can't tell… I… I've hurt a Smasher… this is exactly what I was afraid would happen. A Smasher has been hurt because of me, because I can't control myself, because of this vampirism… what would the other Smashers think? What would Peach, Ness and the other kids think? Or Princia? Or… what would _Lyn_ think, after I promised her that I would stay strong? What would they do? Would they… hate me…?

I… I have to get out of here… I can't stay here, not like this! I dash past Wario and the fallen Wolf, barely avoiding smacking into the doorframe on the way out of the blood bank. I have to get to the transportation system… I have to get away from here, before anyone else gets hurt! The last thing I want is for my friends to get hurt because of me, _by_ me!

I make it to the transportation system just in time to realize… that I have no idea where I'm going to go. I can't go back to Magica, not like this… I could hurt Princia. But… I can't stay _here_! Think Lucas, where can you go where you'll be safe… gah, what am I thinking!? _Nowhere_ is safe for a vampire, for me _or_ the people _around_ me! Oh, what do I do!?

"_But I _can_ tell you about the vampire, or rather _half_-vampire. His name is Django, from a town called San Miguel."_

Wait… that's it! Django! _He's_ part-vampire! He actually _protects_ his world in spite of that darkness! He _must_ know what to do about this! It's my only chance… I quickly fire up the transportation system and punch in "San Miguel" before hopping onto the pad. The system's black rings begin to spin wildly around me, before the white light of the pad obscures all from view…

I hope that he can help me… he's my last hope…

* * *

**A/N: **It felt good to play the insanity card again, but jeez, SSB fiction is hard to write. It's hard to incorporate all of the characters and their corresponding worlds… but its darn fun! R&R!

Also, a brownie if you know what world Lucas is heading too next. And no using Wiki this time! :D


	19. Chapter 18: Missing

**A/N:** Ugh. Just... ugh. Real life loves to throw monkey wrenches into the simplest of plans. I'm still going to try to get another chapter up before the end of the week, but with my current run of luck, I ask you all not to hold your breath. In the meantime, enjoy this one.

* * *

_Chapter 18: Missing_

_"You really _are_ a wimp, aren't you?"_

My twisted, vampiric reflection is flashing his impossibly wide grin at me… I swear that the flames in the mirror are bigger and the blood on the floor is higher than last ime. And there is also blood on the other me's cheek, dripping down from its mouth and staining its teeth…

_"You should've just finished the dirty dog off. Instead you just freaked out and ran away, as usual…"_ he sneers. _"You wasted a perfectly good meal."_

I growl so much, I can feel my face shaking. "_Shut up_! I didn't _mean_ to suck Wolf's blood, it just… happened!"

_"Oh, please."_ the vampire scoffs. _"Wolf has been a thorn in your side ever since you met him, don't tell me you hadn't _once_ thought about giving him what he deserved."_

"But I didn't want it to go _that_ far!" I retort.

_"_Hah_! The blood on your cheek says otherwise…"_ he says, rubbing the blood off of its cheek. What is it talking about? Wait… my _own_ cheek is wet. I hadn't noticed it before, but… it definitely feels wet when I touch it. Whatever is there rubs off on my hands… I look my fingers… it's… _blood_! I desperately try and fail to shake it off of my hand, yelping at the sight. _"You need to grow up, Lucas..."_ My attention turns back to the reflection who, completely unlike me, is _licking_ the blood off of his own fingers. I shudder in disgust. _"And you need to admit that you _enjoy_ this vampiric behaviour. It'd be so much easier if you'd just embrace what you've become, instead of trying to get rid of it."_

I sigh heavily, trying to regain some sense of calm. "Look, I went into the transportation system to get to San Miguel, not to find _you_. Why the heck am I _here_!?" I inquire.

A short cackle precedes the vampire's answer. _"You already know the answer to that. This is a _dreamscape_, and the only way to enter a dreamscape is to lose consciousness. As for how… well, your guess is as good as mine…"_ It breaks for a chuckle. _"Or rather, your guess _is_ mine."_

My patience has officially run out; I run to the mirror and direct a punch at the glass casting the evil reflection of my face. I feel no pain from the impact, but the mirror hasn't appeared to suffer any damage either… it's as if my fist just bounced off of it like rubber. "_You, are, not, ME_!" I shout, emphasizing every word. "I am not some hellspawn that gets off on seeing others suffering and dying around me!"

My reflection scoffs, shaking its head. _"Still in denial… but you'll change your tune soon enough."_

--------------------

Mental torture at the hand of my evil self is replaced by physical pain as I regain consciousness. I'm thirsty, and my whole body is aching to the bone – though it's not as painful as it has been – with my nose hurting the most. It must be broken… I've suffered enough broken noses during my adventures at home to know when I have one, but it begs the question: how did I get _this_ one? I don't recall anything happening to it before _or_ after I used the transportation system… though I don't remember anything after that at all. Was it possible that I lost consciousness after I transported? It wouldn't be the first time… and it couldn't have been very long ago, either; I can feel my vampire wings pressed against whatever surface I'm laying on. It's still nighttime.

I reach to feel my aching nose, but my arm isn't moving… something is holding it down. My eyes shoot open and I turn my head to look at it. There is a metal clamp around my wrist, pinning it to what looks like a bed. I begin to panic when I notice that my other three limbs are restrained as well; I'm trapped! And in a foreign area, to boot; it's a plain wooden bedroom, not a place at the Smash Manor. Upon reflection, perhaps it's a good thing I'm restrained… especially after what I did to Wolf. I don't every want to suck someone's blood again. But on the other hand, I refuse to be someone's prisoner without an explanation! "Offense Up!" I say, then attempt to budge the steel clamps… but nothing happens. Neither to the clamps nor to myself. My body doesn't feel any different, it doesn't feel buffed up like usual when I use Offense Up. What went wrong? "Offense Up!" I shout again, struggling harder against the clamps, but to no avail. What's going on!? I may be dizzy, but that's never stopped me from performing PSI before; my mind is in peak condition and completely focused on increasing my physical strength, so why isn't it working!? In desperation, I try to use other kinds of PSI. "PK Fire! PK Freeze! PK _anything_! Work, darn it!"

But despite how much I'm trying, it just isn't working… what is going on? If an outside force were interfering with my PSI, a big headache would inform me of it, and focusing isn't the problem… that leaves only one explanation as far as I can tell: my new body. I don't know how, but it seems that being in vampire form prevents the use of PSI… that is bad. Really, _really_ bad. What good is this body if it negates my most effective method of attack _and_ defense? So now I'm trapped in a foreign environment with no way to defend myself… wonderful, _just_ wonderful.

"My, you must be a heavy sleeper…" The voice of a woman… mature-sounding, but not familiar. I look around with my still-unrestrained head, but there's no one in the room with me. "Whatever the barrier doesn't destroy, it just knocks away. I've never heard of it incapacitating anyone."

After hearing the voice for a second time, I was able to pinpoint it; it's coming from the door, of which a small part is open for looking through. A pair of hazel eyes is looking at me from it. "Who are you!? What's going on!?" I demand.

"I was hoping you could tell me." the woman replies. "What business do you have here in San Miguel, vampire?"

Wait… did she say San Miguel? I'm at San Miguel? "H-hold on, where did you say I am?"

"San Miguel, the City of the Sun." she repeats. "Now I'll ask again, what business do you have here?"

Wow, it seems that I arrived at San Miguel after all… although not in the way I thought I would. Whoever tied me down to this bed seems to be suspicious of me because of this form and wants an explanation… though I'd be awfully skeptical too if a vampire appeared on _my_ doorstep. It seems that this woman is a resident of the town, so perhaps I should answer her. I don't want to come off as the bad guy. "I'm looking for someone named 'Django.' I thought he might be able to help me with this… curse."

Curse… I don't know what else to call this new body, but it's fitting enough. So far it's done nothing but cause me grief. "You're looking for Django?" the woman asks, sounding… surprised? My PSI isn't working so I can't tell for sure, but there was a definite change in her tone of voice. Not wanting to jinx it, I only nod my head in reply.

The oversized peephole in the door slides shut, and for a moment I don't think she believes me… but my fears vanish when the door opens to reveal the woman who was questioning me. She's tall and… umm, well-endowed; the slim, sleeveless pink dress she wears leaves very little to the imagination. Her hair is short and black, done up in a UFO-rounded style – I don't know what the style is called, exactly – and is holding a glass of rid liquid in one hand. She walks around the bed, undoing the metal clamps around my wrists and ankles one by one until I'm able to move again. I immediately sit up, rubbing my sore joints, and then my throat which reminds me that it's dry when it forces me to cough.

Seeing this, the woman hands me the red drink. "Here, this will quench your thirst." I take the glass and inspect its contents… it's a red liquid no doubt, but it isn't blood. Sure, it looks like it, but somehow I can just tell. The last time I ingested something that _wasn't_ blood in this form, it burnt my tongue… I look at the woman; she has an expectant look on her face. If only I could tell what she was thinking, I'd know whether or not her intentions were helpful or harmful towards me. But if I don't quench my thirst for blood, I'll be forced to suck it out of someone again… I'll take my chances. I gulp down the drink as quickly as possible. For a moment it feels like my tongue is burning, but… not like it's on fire. It's more of a "too much spice" sensation. It's sure-as-hell not comfortable, but it's still bearable. At least it put a stopper on the thirst. I look back at the woman, and she looks rather concerned. "Either you really like spicy foods, or you were really thirsty."

I cough at the heat in my throat… oh well, it's better than having to drink blood. "Actually, I was afraid it would burn my mouth… the last thing I tried to drink in this form did." I tell her as I set the empty glass on the bed-side desk. "What was that?"

She regains her smile and tells me, "A special tomato juice made by my student. It's made for quenching the bloodthirst of vampires. She won't give me the recipe, though." Tomato juice? Seriously? Well, that would explain why it was spicy… "Oh, pardon me, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Lady."

Lady… as a given name? It's oddly befitting of her actually, and I can safely say I've heard of weirder names than that. "I'm Lucas." I introduce myself. "So… you tie me up to this bed, and now you're suddenly being friendly? What gives?"

"You said you were looking for Django." she says. "If you were with the undead that have been plaguing San Miguel, you would already know where he is."

Ahh, she makes a good point, though she'll have to elaborate on it a bit. "Undead?" I repeat.

Her eyebrows are both raised. "You don't know about the undead?" she asks.

I grin sheepishly and grab my arm in embarrassment. "I'm… not from around here. You're going to have to fill me in." I confess. The next time Snake gives me info, I'm going to make sure to squeeze as much of it out of him as possible.

"Ah, is that so." Lady replies. "I'll give you the short version, then. It's my, Django's and a few other people's job to ward off undead and purify immortals. To stop them from getting into the city, we have a barrier set up." A barrier… she mentioned that before. "To evil creatures, it's impenetrable. You must've hit it awfully hard to get knocked out." Ah, so _that's_ how I lost consciousness! The transportation system isn't designed to go through magical or technological barriers; it's akin to slamming headfirst into a brick wall. That explains the broken nose, too… "But recently, someone made it through, someone with ill will. Some kind of sorceress… try as we might, we couldn't stop her. She took Django away…"

Lady has my undivided attention when she said that last sentence fragment. "Taken away? He was captured!?"

She nods, showing what I _think_ is sadness… not having my PSI powers is really getting annoying. "Just two days ago. We sent his brother Sabata to rescue him, but neither of them have come back…" Brother? I wasn't aware that Django had a brother… then again, thanks to Snake's dodgy info, I hardly know anything about him. This new knowledge makes me a little jealous… "And since then, swarms of undead have pinned us in the city. We can't spare anyone to rescue the brothers. Things are looking grim…"

Ahh… damn it all. Just once I'd like to travel to a place that _isn't_ in turmoil, but it just hasn't been that kind of a week. I can't get help with my curse since Django is missing in action, and from what Lady just told me, there's no one else that can get out of San Miguel to save him. From my point of view, that only leaves one option… "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Unless you can fight off hordes of undead… not really." she answers rather nonchalantly.

I smile; I doubt she'll be expecting my answer. "The undead thing is new, but… I'm used to fight off whole groups of baddies. It's kind of my job."

Yup, she's surprised alright. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I have plenty of powers!" I reply cheerily… but that fades quickly when I'm again reminded that those powers don't work in this twisted form. "Just… not in this form. But I seem to turn back to normal in the morning. Seven o'clock seems to be the magic number."

She doesn't look very convinced, though… it does sound kind of ridiculous. If only I could prove it to her… "Well, I guess we'll find out in…" She looks up above my head, and I turn my head to look up there as well; there's a clock hung up on the wall, reading five AM. "Two hours. For Django's and Sabata's sakes, I hope you're telling the truth…" Yeah, I hope I am too… "Do you use a weapon?"

A weapon? Wait… crap! My Mystical Staff! I left the manor in such a mad rush that I forgot it in my room! "Ahh… I _had_ one, but I forgot it at home…" I mutter just loud enough for Lady to hear. "I was in a hurry."

"Ah, it's not a problem." She says. "We have a very talented blacksmith, he can make you something in no time at all."

A blacksmith? That's an old-timey profession… San Miguel must be one of those "behind the times" cities. Although since I'm not good with firearms and happen to need a close-combat weapon, I'm in no position to criticize. After all, my own world is… _was_ archaic, too… "How fast can he make a good spear?"

--------------------

The answer is: one hour. The spear that the blacksmith – reportedly _named_ "Smith" – made for me was a broadhead-type, made for bludgeoning and stabbing rather than outright swinging, and that suited me just fine. Though for security and trust reasons, Lady only showed me the weapon before taking it somewhere out of my reach, and locking the door from the outside.

A wise move, since even _I_ can't trust myself right now… as long as I'm in this cursed form, I am a danger to everyone around me, friend and foe alike. I don't want a repeat of what happened to Wolf… even if the anthromorph _was_ asking for it, what I did wasn't right, nor was it my intention. I lost control of myself again, unable to stop myself from listening to that little voice in my head that said "destroy." Every time it happens, it gets easier to give in and harder to resist. It's as if every bit of morality that I have, words and lectures from my own mother that keep me on the straight and narrow, vanishes and leaves behind nothing but a hell-bent fiend. A monster that doesn't fret at or run away from bloodshed and destruction, but instead embraces it, even literally _bathes_ in it. Is this really… _me_? Are my other self's words true, that deep down inside I'm a vicious monster, and that this kind and timid persona is just an attempt to mask it? I don't even know who or what I am anymore…

I look up at the clock, which now reads 6:58 AM, and shake my head furiously. I can't dwell on my state of mind now, there will be time for that later. The desire to save and protect others is the only thing that keeps me sane, and right now Django and Sabata need my help. I'm going to transform again in less than two minutes… hopefully then my powers will return and I'll be able to save them.

The clock strikes seven.

"Ugh!" Every muscle in my body painfully tightens up, including my wings, one of which smack into the emptied glass of tomato juice I'd set down earlier. I hear a crash as it smashes on the hardwood floor, but it's the least of my concern. My body feels like its on fire again, and despite my best efforts, my screams make it through my clenched teeth. My claws rip through the bedsheets as I try to hold onto something, trying to stop myself from shaking, but it's no use. My wings feel like they're both being bathed in lava and getting shoved back inside of me at the same time… its horrible! "Rrgh… _aaarrgh_!"

I hear the door open. "What in the world!?" It's Lady's voice…

"Wha… what's happening to him!?" A new voice… a younger girl. I don't recognize it.

"His wings… his skin, they're…" Lady mutters, barely audible over my groaning. "Is he really turning back into a human!?"

When the pain in my wings finally subsides, it's replaced by the feeling of something crashing into where they were. "_AAH_!" My mouth is opened wide to release that scream when my body jerks upright on reflex, despite every bone and muscle in my body crying out in denial. Fortunately, it seems to mark the end of the transformation… the heat subsiding and my limbs relaxing, I fall forward against the bed, breathing hard. I can hear my heart thumping erratically against the mattress and sweat soaking my face and hair. Ugh… praise the Lord that it's over…

Lady rushes over to the other side of the bed to get a look at my face and asks, "Are you alright, Lucas!?"

"Am I…" If I had a dime for every time I've been asked that over the past little while… I respond to her question with a glare and reply, "Don't _ever_ ask me that." I press my hands against the mattress and push myself up into a sitting position. Were Lady not a woman, I would strangle her for asking me that question right now…

She leans back a bit, offended by my words… wait, offended? I can clearly tell this time… it's as if I can see it in her eyes. Has my PSI returned? "Well, excuse me for being concerned!" he snaps back.

Concerned? Well, I can understand why… she _did_ just walk in on someone writhing in nigh-unbearable pain. I sigh and apologize, "I'm sorry… it's just that I've been asked that question so many times lately that it's getting annoying."

The anger on her face disappears, replaced with an odd sympathy. "Does it always hurt so badly?"

I nod and reply, "Every time so far… in and out of human form."

"That's horrible…" Wait, that wasn't Lady who spoke, this voice sounded younger and meek… oh right, the other girl. I turn to face her; she has short brown hair, a blue dress that matcher her eyes and a white apron that seems to fit the small ensemble well.

"Ah, allow me to introduce my student." Lady says, heading over to her. "Say hello, Lita."

"He… hello, Lucas." Lita greets bashfully.

"Student? So you're the one who made that tomato juice?" I ask. Lita nods with an "mm-hm," holding up her hands in front of her face with fingers entwined. "Thank you… I don't know what would've happened if my thirst weren't quenched." Like with Wolf… I didn't dare say out loud that I've sucked someone's blood.

"Are you well enough to fight?" Lady asks me suddenly. "I hate to rush you, but Django and Sabata have been gone for too long…"

I shake my head and answer, "Don't worry about me. I've fought feeling worse." I decided not to explain, I merely prove my point by hopping off of the bed and craning the stiffness out of my neck. Some PSI will deal with the rest of the soreness, but not in front of them; these people readily trust me to save the brothers, and since I happen to _need_ one of those brothers, I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize that trust. I should at least wait until I'm out of their sight before performing PSI. "Do you know where Django and Sabata are now?" I ask. It'll obviously be hard to rescue them if I don't know where to look…

"There's a cathedral to the east that the undead have been mostly coming from." Lady explains. "I'd start there."

--------------------

I wasn't able to set out right away, as Lita had insisted that I pack some supplies in case the brothers were hungry. Lady had stayed with me while Lita was gathering the foodstuffs, making sure that I wouldn't try to escape or anything. When her student returned, she had a brown knapsack filled with all sorts of fruit and some of her special tomato juice, and some chocolate that she said was for Sabata. Normally I'd question the wisdom of giving chocolate on a malnourished person, but after drinking a blood substitute that actually worked, I decide not to. Besides, Sabata wasn't gone as long and might not need as much food as Django.

I can sense that the townspeople's trust in me is shaky, having just met me and knowing that I'm part-vampire; the fact that they're sending me out means that they really are desperate for help. For the sake of whatever good is left in my conscience, I have to save the brothers and San Miguel from this sorceress at all costs. Furthermore, I'm stuck without Django to help me with my curse. I want to help the Smashers stop Shadow, but I don't dare endanger them with my own issues.

With a full bag of food and my new spear slung over my back, I set out for the cathedral, which isn't that far from the town's main area; when I'm out of view, I finally use PK Healing to fix my stiffness and soreness, now as ready as I'll get for whatever these new enemies can throw at me. Explained by Lady, it seems that a common stereotype about undead is true: they detest sunlight. The brunt of the evil forces that kept the citizens of San Miguel trapped were asleep, buried underground by their own will.

That being said, those evil forces are still decent in number even in the daytime. Outside of the city square, it looks post-apocalyptic; the district I'm walking through right now is made up of nothing but dilapidated structures, quite a feat since they are mostly made of stone. At first I think this damage is recent, but the sight of moss growing on these crumbling buildings tells me that it happened quite a while ago. Through the shadowed interiors, I swear I can see eyes glowing in the darkness, staring at me in unnerving and silent unison. I take a mental note: ask Lady about the history of this world when I return. I'm lucky that most of the creatures are hiding from the daylight.

Unfortunately, there are some that aren't hindered by the sun, made apparent by the sound of heavy, thudding footsteps around a corner. I press myself against the nearest wall and peer around it, seeing the back of a… _thing_ walking down an adjacent path. No seriously, it looks like "The Thing" off of the Fantastic Four, crossed over with Kirby. Its body is mostly ball-shaped, with tiny arms and legs but fairly big hands and feet, and unlike the puffball it does have an actual head. Every inch of it is made of stone, and every step it takes is pronounced with a small thud as a result. This is the main threat of San Miguel's daytime, a "Golem." Tempting though it is to dispatch the enemy, it's not wise; they usually travel in packs. I'll have to sneak around it.

When it disappears from view, I tiptoe as quickly as I can across the path it was just patrolling. But as soon as I reach its end, I hear a squeak; I turn around frantically to see another Golem sitting in a dead-end alleyway, staring at me with lifeless, sky-blue eyes. It squeaks again, more loudly… wait, _that thing_ made the squeak? It doesn't seem fitting of a stone strong-man at all… focus, Lucas! It's attacking! It rolls up into a ball, spinning in place. I've seen Sonic perform this kind of maneuver enough times to know what's coming. Without warning, the Golem launches from its spot in the alley straight at me. I quickly leap off to the side, and as a consequence it crashes into the wall with a loud _slam_. Good because the clumsy thing has dazed itself, bad because that crashing sound alerted the Golem's companions, judging from the numerous squeaks I'm hearing. Those squeaks are fast replaced by the sounds of rolling rocks… damn it, this isn't good.

The first of the Golem's friends to arrive is the one I snuck by before, rolling down the path I'd just passed by. It doesn't stop the roll to gain its bearings, it just charges right at me. I have nowhere to sidestep this time, so I perform a PSI-assisted back-flip over it instead. The Golem, despite its best intentions, crashes into its friend down below me and leaves them both seeing stars. I decide to get rid of them now, since I'm literally going to be between a rock and a hard place if I don't. Upon landing, I whip out my spear and impale the first Golem. It jerks its limbs out with a surprised and pained squeak, before bending over and exploding in a surprisingly-harmless shower of rubble at my feet. I sound whack on the head of the other Golem causes it to expire in the same fashion. "Well, that wasn't so hard…"

The sight of at least three more Golems crowding in from the end of this pathway makes me quickly retract that statement. Turning around, I see that another four have blocked off the way I came. It's not likely that I'll be jumping around them this time. The only path that I can take that my lead somewhere is the one I avoided before, so I dart over that way. I can hear the Golems pursuing. I come across an incline in the form of a fallen walkway and run up it to a higher level, then run around the bend it lead to and… _whoa_! I stop in my tracks, having nearly ran right off of the path, which is completely broken away. The ends of my shoes aren't even on the ground… I quickly step back so I don't fall into the pack of rolling Golems, which has tripled in number. But before I can retrace my steps, I can see the other Golems rolling up the incline after me. Crap… I can't hop down while that river of stone is down there, I can't jump up over them without landing on a Golem from here, and there are just too many for me to blow away with any of my PSI attacks. I'm trapped! All I can do is brace myself as a pair of Golems comes rushing down the walkway, followed by their buddies… "Ahh, _crap_!"

A sudden yank on my arm pulls me away, making me gasp, but I feel something cover my mouth. What happened? I look down… to see that I'm still standing on the stone structure I was running around, but on a very discrete ledge to the left of where I just was. I watch with relief and slight amusement as the Golems, apparently completely sightless white rolling, go right off the path and crash down below like a living rock slide. Most of them wound up being landed on by their comrades, crushing and destroying the majority of them. A full minute of tremors later, out of the roughly twenty Golems that attacked, only four of them are still alive after the mayhem. All dazed and confused as they trudge and stumble through the remains of those who were less fortunate. "It's one disaster after another with you lately, isn't it?"

That voice… that sweet, kind yet commanding voice. I spin around in the grip of my saviour and embrace her, looking up at her face. "Lyn! Oh my God, you're a sight for sore eyes!" Surely there is some divine force in the sky that _likes_ me! I know I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but I have to ask, "What are you doing here!?"

"Looking for you, of course!" Lyn replies. "Luckily, Snake had an idea of where you'd be. He wasn't able to come, but he sends his regards." Looking for me… I'm about to complain to her about the serious risk she's taking by simply being near me, but I'm interrupted before I begin by the shrill, angered squeaks of the surviving Golems down below. "And it seems I found you not a moment too soon…"

I sigh with exasperation. "There were just too many for me to fight. Just my luck that I'd run into a dead end…" I explain, before I look back up at her as a sinister grin creeps its way onto my face. "But now that's there's just a few…"

Lyn gives me a knowing smirk, and in an instant, we both jump down with unified war cries upon the hapless Golems. The scuffle barely even lasts five seconds; two good slashes of a sword and spear later, the remainder of the enemy crumbles and completes the pile of gravel that we're standing on. The Caelin noble is quick to continue the conversation. "So, would you care to explain to me how this happened?" she asks as she returns the Mani Katti to its sheath. "I thought you'd be getting help from this 'Django,' not fighting these monsters."

"Yeah… things haven't been going my way lately." I reply with a sigh. "Django's been kidnapped, along with his brother. With everyone stuck in the town, I have to be the hero."

"Mmm… I see." Lyn nods. "What a terrible coincidence…" Coincidence… there's a word I haven't cared to use in a while. "And I don't suppose you're returning to the manor until your vampirism is cured?"

Guilt strikes me heart like it were stabbed with a flaming knife when Lyn suggests my returning to the Smash Manor. "I… I can't go back…" I say, trying not to cry. "Not after what happened to Wolf… I was afraid that I'd hurt the Smashers, and that's exactly what happened. There's no way I can face them until this curse is gone…"

Lyn's hand lands on my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I look up at her, and she's smiling. "Then we'd better find Django."

"Y-you…" I'm not sure how to respond to this. Even after what I've done to one of our own, she would still help me? "But… why? Why would you help me after what happened to Wolf…? What could happen to _you_!?"

Lyn's smile merely broadens. "I'm willing to take the risk. If there's one thing I've learned in all my battles, it's to never abandon a friend."

I can't hold back my tears anymore. I embrace Lyn again, my fingers clinging to her warrior's dress as I cry… I can't tell whether or not these tears are sad or… happy. "L-Lyn… th-thank you…" Her arms fall to the back of my shirt and to the back of my head respectively, holding me in place. I can feel my heart speeding up… why is this happening again? Every time I'm near her like this…

"Okay, Lucas." Her voice is more commanding and determined now, meaning that she's serious. Gone is the sweet woman who I confide in, replaced by the supreme warrior of Caelin. "We have a job to do. No more tears."

Whenever Lyn speaks like that, I can't help but feel motivated myself. I wipe the tears from my face and nod with a determined smile, and I make my way towards the cathedral once again with her following closely. It's not going to be easy… Lyn and I are vastly outnumbered, if this last battle was any indication. But we've been alone and fighting against the odds before, this is no different. Django, Sabata and all of San Miguel are counting on us, and we won't let them down.

Those undead don't stand a chance.

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**A/N:** Ahh, aren't things getting exciting now? The next chapter or two is going to be intense, I promise. R&R!


	20. Chapter 19: Mad Scientist

**A/N:** I know, I know; I promised a double update last week, and instead there was nothing done. I'm sorry for the huge delay, I've had a lot of crap going on here (homework and house-hunting, mainly). And the homework isn't over with yet! There's no way I can promise a double update anymore, but I'll still try to keep the chapters coming.

* * *

_Chapter 19: Mad Scientist_

Cathedrals are supposed to be holy places from what I've heard. They're a place where monks, priests and the like come to pray. People politely and slowly crowd inside the massive, stone buildings to hear sermons by those monks and priests, hoping to gain the gentle guidance of God. The building's structure is solid, able to withstand the repeated abuse of Mother Nature for generations.

Whoever thought that clearly hasn't seen San Miguel's cathedral, which Lyn and I now look upon from a safe distance, and it appears to be the furthest thing from both holy and sturdy. Windows are shattered, the masonry has clearly-visible fractures that mostly stretch all the way from the ground to the roof, which I would imagine is falling apart. The ground around the building doesn't detract from the destruction; every one of the green, thick tiles that lead to the cathedral smashed and broken. Lily pads, moss and vines thrive in the flooded areas around those tiles, some growing through the cracks. Even under the rule of an evil sorceress and no doubt teeming with the undead, I hadn't expected it the cathedral to be in such disrepair. Skeletons, honest-to-goodness skeletons, are walking around in repetitive and single-minded patrol on the grounds and adding to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere. Some are holding swords, some holding bows and arrows, all of them looking more menacing than the last. What I find odd is that they don't seem to be affected by the sun shining down on them… then again, they don't have any flesh to burn. Maybe that's why.

To put the scene into perspective, this "holy place" looks like it literally went through hell, and some of that hell stuck with it on the way out.

I'm lucky I'm not in such a state… it was thanks to Lyn's surprise appearance that I'm still alive and not buried alive under a pile of Golems. And it appears that I'm going to need that health, judging from the amount of skeletons stomping around. I count no less than ten, and since there was a rotting hedge maze between us and the cathedral, there were no doubt a lot more of them waiting in ambush. "How are we supposed to get in there without being spotted?" Lyn whispers to me, rightly worried that we won't be able to get in through the front door. An outright confrontation is totally out of the question.

Fortunately enough, I did know of a way to sneak into the cathedral, courtesy of Lady. "There's supposed to be an underground entrance somewhere on the left side of the building…" I inform her. _Un_fortunately, the rotting hedges in the middle of the cathedral grounds prevented direct view to see how well-guarded it was. Either side of the maze was blocked off with iron fences, the kind that has pointy ends on top, with overgrown trees on the other side. Getting over the fence wasn't a problem for either of us, but we'd make a lot of noise going through all of that foliage. The only option left was to sneak through the hedge maze, and hope we don't get lost in it. "We have to go through the maze."

Lyn nodded silently, keeping one hand on the hilt of the Mani Katti, but not drawing it. I mimic the gesture with the spear tied to my back, ready to slam it down on a skull if I must. We waited until the skeletons were all looking the other way before dashing across the moss-laden tiles to the back of another pillar, closer to the maze entrance. Despite the disturbing squishing sounds our shoes made when we stepped on the moss, they'd been none the wiser, just walking along like nothing happened. It's a good thing they don't have brains to outsmart us with; just making sure they don't see us seems to be enough to let us elude them. We wait patiently until they're all turned away from the entrance before we rush into it.

To my surprise, the maze had a very easy solution; the path to the cathedral was right through the middle, a straight line from the maze entrance. I suppose I should've expected that, otherwise half of the people who use to come to this cathedral wouldn't have been able to reach it. There are other paths around the maze though, so Lyn and I navigate it cautiously, peeking around every turn to make sure we aren't surprised by the enemy. The only skeletons we found inside were facing the other way though, so we weren't seen and got to the other side safely. If only I'd had this kind of luck on the way here…

The main courtyard of the cathedral isn't in any better shape than the other side, in fact it looks worse with the presence of dirtied water all over the left side that we're heading for. A reflecting pool perhaps, a place where people come to clear their minds? Something catches my eye in the pool's centre: tiles that stretches all the way over to here. Unless I'm wrong about it being a pool and the cathedral's Eastern side was merely flooded, there's no other spot for the secret entrance to be. Lyn and I make like before, avoiding being seen by skeletons and then make a mad dash for where those wrecked tiles end. Indeed, there is a stairwell there, but I'd hardly call it a secret… regardless, we rush down it before we're seen.

"That was too easy." Lyn says, not jokingly but seriously, and I'm inclined to agree. Anyone wondering "Why does that path go way out there?" and being curious enough to check it out would find the stairwell. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Was Lady hinging her bets that the sorcerer and these undead ignored this path – in which case they'd have to be damn stupid – or was this some kind of trap? I can't forget that the woman who gave me these directions was the same one who chained me to a bed like a rape victim… the thought of that makes me shudder. "What's wrong?"

Darn, I was hoping Lyn hadn't noticed that. "Nothing… it's just cold down here." I reply. It was a viable excuse, as the stairs had led down into a small, damp section of cave illuminated by wall torches. There wasn't much to it, another set of stairs at the other side and a pit in the middle. I look down it… its too dark for me to see the bottom. It's definitely wide enough to deter normal people, but Lyn and myself have easily covered jump distances of at least twice that. We have no problem hopping over it and heading up the stairs on the other side.

We've arrived in what seems to be the hall where mass is held, pews and shattered stained-glass windows lined up against the walls. What I hadn't expected to see, however, was the presence of machinery. _Lots_ of machinery, set up in various points of the hall. This is enough to make Lyn and I sit in the stairwell, not actually entering the room yet, just observing from a somewhat safe place. The back corners of the room, near the mass hall's entrance doors, house machines that run cables along the walls and up through the holes in the dilapidated roof. Nothing can be seen through the holes, something must be covering them… more cables along the floor lead to a much larger hunk of metal sitting where the altar should be; this one has several clamps in the floor and eight cylinders that have to be three times my size reaching up for the ceiling. Some are glowing with a bright, yellow fluid, while others are still being filled up with it. Two robots seemed to be standing guard by it; both were very round in the middle, but had long legs and long arms and a small head on top. They're covered in head-to-toe chrome armor-plating, minus their red, angry-looking eyes.

This made no sense at all; from what I've seen so far, San Miguel's technology was archaic. _This_ is _not_ archaic. Something isn't right. Lyn and I duck back down out of view before discussing what we've seen. "Snake didn't happen to tell you the tech level of this world, did he?" I ask her.

Lyn shakes her head and replies, "Of course not." Bah, that's typical of Snake. "But I'm fairly sure this machinery doesn't belong here."

My face falls into a frown. "That's what I'm thinking." I tell her.

"How goes the energy conversion?" A new voice… gruff, deep and the slightest bit nasal, not one I've heard before. Lyn and I peek back up the stairs to see that a person has entered the mass hall and is conversing with the robot guards. Not undead, not machine… but human. Male form the looks of it, so he's not the sorcerer either. Who _is_ he, then? Or rather, _what_ is he? His build is pretty much the same as that of the robots he's talking to, a big waist with long limbs, but he has big hands and feet. He wears a black jacket – unbuttoned for obvious reasons – with yellow cuffs and lining and a red inside over a brighter-red jumpsuit with a zipper in the middle. The fabric goes all the way down to his feet, on which he wears black, high-heeled sandals. His big, white gloves are fiddling with his silver-white… uhh, moustache? Whiskers? It's frilly like a moustache and long like whiskers, whatever it is, and goes along both sides of his face. He has a long, red nose and mirrored, triangle-shaped sunglasses – the kind most would call "cool shades" or something like that – and a pair of tiny goggles resting atop his bald head.

I've seen my share of weird people, in and out of Super Smash Brothers, but this one is by far one of the weirdest. "Energy conversion has not yet started." Replies the leftmost robot with a deep, monotone voice. "Reason for delay: energy drain is incomplete. Host lifeform has greater resistance than anticipated."

Energy drain? Host lifeform? None of that sounds good… apparently the human isn't pleased with what he heard. "Bah! That sunflower is stronger than I'd supposed… how much longer until it's completely drained?"

"Cannot give approximate time: lifeform resists and desists at random intervals. Estimated time to completion: twelve hours, three minutes, twenty-seven seconds." The robot replies.

"Twelve hours!?" the man snaps back, his face red. "Is there no way to speed it up!?"

"Project 'Sunflower' cannot be accelerated without severe damage to the lifeform."

The man raises his right hand and curls it into a fist, looking ready to punch his robot in the face… but then groans in aggravation and lowers his hand back down. "I don't want to destroy it if I can help it… but he said the boy would be arriving soon. Double the security! I don't want Shadow's pet-project to ruin everything after coming so close!"

"Acknowledged."

The human leaves the room the way he came, hands behind his back as if he were some sort of military general. I can feel the colour having drained from my face… Lyn and I duck back beneath the stairs. "Did you catch that last part? About Shadow?" I whisper.

Lyn nods slowly, equally pale-faced. "Pet-project… if that means what I think it does, then…"

"He knew we'd be coming." I finish for her. Again, she nods. Shadow… why am I not surprised? He must know about Django… but how did he know that _I_ knew about him? Unless… "He's been watching me…"

"How is that possible?" Lyn asks me. "You said he uses PSI, wouldn't you sense him if he were nearby?"

She has a good point… Shadow's presence alone has caused my stomach to turn in the past, and yet I haven't once felt it since we last met at the Magican Royal Palace. "I haven't felt him at all… but he's watching me somehow. There's no other way he'd know we were coming here."

"But that's what's confusing me." Lyn interjects. "That man said 'the boy would be arriving soon.' As in _just you_. There was no mention made of me or Snake…"

Again, Lyn makes her point… though it's not as believable as the first. It could just be the way that man talks, though it was still a little odd that he didn't mention multiple intruders… "But he still knew _I'd_ be coming." I remind her. "Something weird is going on, I'm sure of it…"

For that, Lyn had no rebuttal. "The question is what…" she mutters. "But that's beside the point now. That man said he was draining energy from something. He said it was a… sunflower?"

Indeed, that was puzzling me as well. The man seemed quite intent on draining all of the sunflower's energy, but who or what this "sunflower" is and why its energy is being drained was still unknown. But there is one thing I know for sure, "Whatever's going on here, if Shadow's involved, it _can't_ be good." And Lyn wasn't about to argue with that. "We need to shut that machine down."

Lyn nodded and grasped the hilt of the Mani Katti, knowing that the only way to access that machine was to get rid of the robots guarding it. I find it strange that Lyn unsheathes the Mani Katti only when attacking; she'll keep the scabbard on even when forced to defend with it. I once asked her why she does that, and she said it was because she wanted to make sure she only dealt lethal strikes to her enemies, and not to her friends by mistake. I'm sure Lyn's experience in swordplay is good enough to prevent any accidental cuts to her allies, and many of the swordsmen at the Smash Manor would question keeping the blade sheathed in the middle of a fight, but it doesn't inhibit Lyn's ability at all in all the missions I've been on with her. Always mindful of what's around her, having the ability to prevent friendly fire even on reflex… I both envy and respect Lyn for that.

As quickly as we can, we rush up the stairs and pounce on the robot guards. I cover the eyes of the right-hand one and pull it down; laser blasts rain out from both of its arms, but being blinded and off-balance, it shots just hit the ceiling. I glance over at Lyn, who has already dealt with her robot; she had already cut it into three neatly-sliced pieces, which slide off of each other and onto the floor with a clatter. My spear isn't meant for that kind of cutting, but seeing a small opening in the back of the robot between its head and back gives me the idea to jam the spear into it. I kick it over onto its "belly" and proceed to do just that, cramming the sharp end of my weapon into it to ravage its inner workings. It struggles violently, but jerking my spear sharply forward inside of it puts an end to that. It sparks and beeps a bit before going totally limp and shutting down.

"I'll stand guard. See if you can shut this thing down." Lyn asks me, before rushing off to the other side of the room and waiting in ambush. I resist the urge to chuckle; everyone in the Super Smash Brothers organization has an aversion to something, and for Lyn its new-age machinery. Not surprising, since she comes from a feudal time frame. I managed to learn how to work all sorts of electronics with Ness' help, but Lyn is lucky if she can even pronounce "television" or "microwave" correctly. Watching her try to operate said appliances is admittedly funny and cute.

Okay, enough reminiscing. I turn my attention to the huge metal construct with the cylinders, and then to the monitor on its front. It displays three things: the first is a wire-frame diagram of the machine itself, with the cylinders filled with energy filled with a yellow fluid on the screen. The second thing is another wire-frame image of a sunflower… wow, it really is a sunflower? Yellow fluid is also present, roughly three-quarter's empty. The last thing is a percentage in numbers, probably the amount of energy drained so far, and it reads seventy-two. I then look at the control pad; the buttons are set up below the monitor… and there are a lot of them. I'm mainly looking for anything that hints to "on and off" or "reverse." I find the former in the form of a traditional line through a circle and move to press it immediately…

But my finger passes right through it.

I yank my hand away in surprise, wondering what the heck just happened. My finger… just passed right through it? I try again, and I can't even feel anything; it's like I'm touching air. I try mashing the other buttons on the console with the same result, and then shove my whole hand into the machine… nothing. It's like the energy-draining machine isn't even there…

Because it _isn't_ there.

"Oh… _shit_!" The sound of me cursing is sure to get Lyn's attention. I know what's going on; this machine is nothing but a hologram, and optical illusion! "It's a trap!"

But my warning comes too late, at least for my own sake; something explodes out of the hologram, a bunch of metal cables, which quickly catches my arms and legs. I'm swept into the air so fast and so violently that I drop my spear, unable to hold back a yelp. My wrists and ankles are once again bound against my will, but this time it _hurts_! Being held upside-down, I can see the cables reach all the way across mass hall for Lyn as well. She slices the cables as they come, but there are just too many for her to defend against. Despite her efforts, she is caught as well, the Mani Katti shaken out of her hand as she is pulled back along the room beside me. Now we're both upside down and disarmed. The bottom end of her warrior dress flops down onto her face— I quickly look away and shut my eyes tightly so I don't see anything I shouldn't. I'm sure I'm blushing. I can hear Lyn as she shrieks and struggles against the cables in protest.

"That was too easy." The voice of the man we saw earlier… he walks back into the room, hands behind his back and a wide grin plastered on his face. "If only your brainpower were as good as your fighting skill. Although…" His gaze turns over to Lyn. "I must admit I wasn't expecting more than one intruder. Seems Shadow dropped the ball."

The man raises his right hand slightly and – despite wearing those thick gloves – snaps his fingers. The cables violently jerk me around until I'm facing upright, and I steal a glance at Lyn to see that the same has happened to her. Her face is red with embarrassment and rage. "Perverted cur! Unhand us this instant!" she snaps at him.

He snaps his fingers again and points at Lyn's face, and a cable whips around and wraps around her mouth. Her screams of discontent are muffled. "Now, try to be nice. I'd rather not mar such beauty." The man then turns to me. "So you are Lucas?" he asks. I give him no response. He does a surprisingly graceful bow to me and says, "My name is Eggman Nega. The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure."

Eggman Nega? I think I've heard that name before… well, the first part of it at least. Sonic told me about a "Dr. Eggman" before, he's his robot-loving nemesis. He had described him as jolly, even that he had a laugh like Santa Claus' "Ho ho ho!" But this man wasn't jolly in the least… I sense nothing malicious intent and grim pleasure from him. "Eggman… aren't you Sonic's enemy?"

He stands up straight again, his hand to his chin. "I suppose you could say that… but there is another person quite like myself who antagonizes him more. I'm a different Eggman from him."

So there was more than one Dr. Eggman? Huh… this is confusing. I'll solve this mystery later. "Well, at least he had the 'Egg' part right…" I taunt, referring to his body shape. His fat torso really is built like an egg.

Eggman Nega didn't seem to like that insult; he snaps his fingers and swings his arm at the air around him, but directed at my face. I hear a cable rising up and look at it, and it smacks me in the cheek. Really hard. Ow… I think Lyn is trying to scream, but between the cable covering her mouth and the painful ringing that has entered my head, I can't tell. "A word of wisdom, boy; _never_ poke fun at my physique if you want to live long." he threatens me.

I'm trying to shake the cobwebs out of my head when I ask him, "What has Shadow got you doing here?"

He puts his hand behind his back again and answers me, "I'd be happy to share. Shadow told me that you were a vampire, and that to seek a cure, you would come here. He only wants me to prevent that from happening, otherwise I can do as I will. I'm sure you noticed the energy-draining machine?" I don't reply, only scowl. "You see, this world houses a creature known as 'Otenko, the Messenger of the Sun.' It's through him that the Solar Boy gains the power to purify vampires."

Now Eggman Nega has my undivided attention. "Purify… vampires…?"

"As you can imagine, it takes a lot of power to do such a thing…" Eggman Nega continues. "Yes… the potentially limitless power of the sun itself. Power which I plan to harness!" He laughs then, and it's nothing like the Santa Claus laugh that Sonic described… it's more of a belly laugh. "With Otenko's energy completely drained, I will power an endless army of machines, and at the same time deny you and chance of turning back to normal. Both mine and Shadow's ambitions will be fulfilled at the same time." He grins broadly. "Brilliant, isn't it?"

That's not my opinion of his plan. "Madman! I won't let that happen!" I shout at him, thrashing against the cables with all of my might, but not doing any better than Lyn.

He chuckles and replies, "You're in no position to do anything about it, boy. Now, to sleep with you!"

The cables holding me start to make a disturbing "whirr" sound… unfortunately, I know what's coming when I feel those cables heat up. I feel volts upon volts of electricity attack my body, making my back arch in unbearable pain. Screams are unavoidable, until my body can't take the pain anymore and I see black…

--------------------

Ugh… m-my body… hurts… I open my eyes to see nothing but stars…

"Wow, that sucked. It really did."

That… _voice_… Shadow! I shake my head fervently to try and clear the cobwebs a little, and then I see him, floating there… he's in a reclined sitting position, despite only sitting on air, with his head resting on his hand. A bored expression is plastered on his face… "NRAAAAGH!" I bellow out, trying to rush at this man who is destroying my life… but I can't move. Something is binding my limbs… the cables? I look at them, but I don't see cables… I see some kind of tentacles instead. They're red and white and oozing out red liquid… blood. These appendages are rickety-looking… if I didn't know better, I'd say they were made of rotting body parts and bones, whip-stitched together. I think that's exactly what they are. My body starts to fight against these things before my brain can even give my body the order, but I can't break free…

Great, I've gone from living cables to monstrous tentacles. Come to think of it, where am I now? I look around… this place is desolate of any surroundings. All I see around me – other than Shadow – is a dark red, swirling clouds that the tentacles seamlessly disappear into. "You were caught by a bunch of cables. Seriously, didn't you once think of using your PSI to blast your way out of them? You had plenty of time, but instead you listened to Eggman Nega gloat." Shadow says.

"SHUT UP!" I yell at him. "I don't want to hear your taunting! Tell me where I am right now!"

He shakes his head, his hand slapping his face. "You need to learn not to tell me to _shut up_ when you ask me to tell you something." he replies with a dull tone. I growl in response. "You haven't left the cathedral. That shock to your system knocked you out. Of course, you should know what that means."

Yes, I do know what it means, and I'm not happy about it. "You pulled me into a dreamscape." I state with uncertainty. My nightmares on their own are bad enough… I don't want to know what might happen if Shadow starts meddling in them, but I'm sure I'm going to find out whether I like it or not… "And I don't like this one. Get your immortal butt out of my head and get me out of here!"

He flips upright, shrugging. "No can do. This wasn't my idea, for a change."

What? Shadow isn't behind this? "Then whose _was_ it!?" I demand.

I immediately become sorry I asked, not just because Shadow is now grinning – which is _never_ a good sign – but because I begin to feel a new presence in this empty space… my mind involuntarily flashes back to my memories of Giygas, or rather the memories that Ness showed me back at Mute City. They're brief and only obscure my vision for a moment, but they get the point across… it's as if my PSI is warning me that something bad is coming. Shadow hovers to the side, revealing a dense patch of the red cloud behind him. "His." he says simply.

My head is then ravaged by a stream of raw, negative energy… rage, sorrow, anger… _fear_… it's an onslaught of madness, just like when Ness showed me his memories. Those memories are surfacing again, this time showing nothing but the hideous morphing of Giygas' distorted body… my head is aching so much! I can't take it! I barely notice Shadow snickering, which is enough to bring me back into the present… I'd been so caught up in my nightmares that I hadn't noticed the dense cloud morph. That twisted, horrifying face… I can feel all the heat drain from my body, and can hear only the erratic thumping of my heart when I realize what this cloud is.

It's Giygas himself.

Pure terror grips me like the jaws of a vice. That face, morphing and flowing around like gas, then slowly changing back… it's terrifying me to the point that I'm getting light-headed, but I can't stop staring at it… what… what's going to happen to me!? I can already feel his madness licking at the fragile remains of my sanity… I can't fathom the horrors of what he, someone who gave up his life for such vast psychic power, could do to me in this defenseless state…

"**You disgust me…**" his voice rings out as if projected from ten loudspeakers. As if my head weren't aching enough! "**You and the whole of your wretched species… you have had the chance to evolve the power of PSI for centuries, and yet it only seems to sprout from the minds of the weak-hearted, those who prefer **_**not**_** to use it to its full potential… you are not worthy of the power you possess!**"

"Hehehehaha! So true…" I gasp a silent breath; that came from right beside my ear… Shadow had moved behind me without me even noticing… I… I can hardly think straight… I feel his hand touch my belly, and my chin… my entire body bucks in terror and shock… "Even a fine specimen like you could be so much more than you are now…" His hand slides up to my chest… his hands are colder than ice! "But you don't strive for it. And why not? These notions you call 'morals' and 'ethics…' things that 'come from the heart…'" His hand drives into my chest, into my heart… my face freezes in a state of pure, unrivaled pain. "All useless, all false. All those kind things like 'Do unto others as they would do unto you' and 'Follow your dreams' that your mother taught you… they don't amount to anything in reality. This has been proven countless times by countless races in countless worlds, and yet not a single soul understands it… it's a wonder there's any life still thriving at all."

I… I don't know what I'm feeling… terror? Rage? Sadness? Something about what Shadow is saying is really sticking, but I'm too disoriented to process it… the pain, the agony… m-muh… make it stop… _please_…! Someone, anyone, _help me_! Ness, Princia… L… L-L-L… _Lyn_…! Anyone! _HELP_!

"**Embrace your power…**" Giygas' powerful voice rips through all the pain. "**Through Shadow and myself, you have been gifted with powers beyond your wildest dreams… you must use it the way it was **_**meant**_** to be used, or you will be consumed by it… you will die, slowly… painfully…**"

"And yet you _don't_ use it the way you're supposed to, the way you _want_ to." Shadow whispers into my ear. "Just because you want to save your friends… a few feeble, pointless lives in a sea of infinite others. You'd throw everything away just for them, who only care about their own hides?" His voice is getting louder. "Wake up, you fool! Forget about friends, forget about dreams! There are only two things that make _any_ difference in life: how much power you have, and how you use it. The sooner you accept this, the better off you'll be…"

His hand slips out of my chest, but the pain doesn't stop… I hardly notice the tentacles of flesh and bone releasing me, my mind unable to process even the simplest pattern of thought as I fall…

--------------------

In an instant, my eyes shoot open and I try to scream, but no sound comes out. My heart is thumping so hard that I swear I can feel my whole body twitching with every pulse. Every muscle and sensual receptor in my body is out of whack; I can't tell whether or not I'm in a state of bliss or a world of pain, and I can hardly breathe… I can't see anything but white…

"Lucas! Please, say something!"

That voice… the white is beginning to clear a little, and I can make out the silhouette of someone… a woman? Colour begins to return… I recognize her. "Lyn…?" I can only rasp out her name.

"Lucas!?" She's looking at me, her eyes wide and… reddened? She's been crying… "You… you're alive… oh, Father Sky and Mother Earth, thank you for your mercy…!"

My body is slowly getting its feeling back in order. I can feel that I'm wrapped up in something warm, and I realize that Lyn's face is very close to mine… she's holding me in an embrace, a tight one, but comfortable… my strength is limited, but I have enough to return the gesture. I feel like I have to touch her somewhere, anywhere… just to make sure that she's real, that I'm not in another dream or nightmare… "Wh… what… ha… pened…"

"Y-you… you almost died…" she tells me. "You started having a seizure all of the sudden… you… stopped breathing…" Her voice is starting to crack up, she's about to cry again… "I had to perform CPR on you… but… I thought… you'd…"

Unable to hold back her tears anymore, she rests her head on the crook of my shoulder and lets them fall. I… almost died? But when did I have a seizure? Could it have been… during my nightmare? When Giygas appeared and Shadow drove his hand into my chest, the agony was horrible… the utter terror, the excruciating pain… could all of that stimulation have done something to my real body? Did my nightmare… nearly _kill me_? "L-Lyn… I… saw him…" I stutter. She raises her head and looks at me. "I saw… Giygas… and… Shadow… they did… bad things to me… i-it… it hurt… it hurt so much…" I can feel my own eyes welling up with water now… the way Shadow touched me in that nightmare… was that… rape? Rape is supposed to be when you're touched a way you don't want to me, when you get violated… did he and Giygas rape me? I… I don't know… "Lyn… is this… real…?"

I feel one of Lyn's arms leave my back, so that she can grasp my hand with it. "Grab my hand and listen to me, Lucas. Grab it hard." I can't muster much strength right now, but I try to heed her request, tightening my loose grip on her delicate hand… "This is real, Lucas. The nightmare is over. They can't hurt you anymore." she says sternly. This is… real? Lyn pulls me up, so that I'm now leaning on her. Her other hand begins to stroke the back of my head gently. "Relax, Lucas… I'm here for you, I won't leave you…"

"You… won't… leave me?" I ask, and she nods. I takes me a moment to relax myself, slumping against her body… she's warm… comfortable… right now, I don't care if this is a dream or not. Time to relax, to recover… just give me… a little time…

* * *

**A/N: **This probably has to be the most disturbing chapter I've written yet. Lucas nearly died in this one… how can he fight people who attack him in his nightmares? R&R!


	21. Chapter 20: Mechanical Madness

**A/N:** HUZZAH! I have finally returned! Things with college and my eventual moving (I finally get to be on my own again) are finally beginning to get all set, so I can finally write again. Mind you I still have that stuff for my friend to do, but now I have a lot more time that and this. For waiting so long, I give you my longest chapter yet, complete with action. Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 20: Mechanical Madness_

How long has it been now… a couple of hours since I awoke? I'm not sure… it's an odd skill of mine to be able to tell how much time has passed, or at least be able to make very good guesses at it. But after my near-death experience which left both my body and mind in horrible disorder, that skill isn't working as well as I would like… my head aches horribly, and my whole body has a strange an unsettling buzzing feeling reverberating in it. Memories of the nightmares are still so vivid… my only comfort is being in Lyn's arms, feeling some degree of safety.

While I rested, I had asked Lyn about our current situation; last time I was awake, we were both entangled in one of Eggman Nega's machine traps. The electric shock seemed to have knocked her out as well, but she regained consciousness sooner than me. She found me laying on the ground in front of her… it seemed we were both still in the cathedral, in a room renovated to be a holding cell. The walls were reinforced with steel, and the door was a massive metal slab. I'm not sure if I could break out of here even if my headache weren't inhibiting my PSI… to make matters worse, our weapons and my backpack full of food were also taken away.

There was a bright side to being captured, however… we found Django and Sabata. They had been stuck in this room themselves, Django after being brought here by the sorcerer before, and Sabata after falling for the same trap that Lyn and I did. For some reason, just looking at them fills me with unease… I knew that Django and Sabata brothers, but I didn't know that they were _twins_.

The Solar Boy wears grey leather boots and a pair of short-pants that are beige in the front and grey at the back, and folded up at the bottom. He has a black belt – or at least it looks like a belt – holding a grey cloth around his waist, covering up the bottom part of his long-sleeved black shirt. Some of the top part of the shirt is covered by grey and beige leather armor that appears large on his shoulders. The most notable things he wears are an absurdly long red scarf, and a… headband? Visor? I can't tell what it is, it looks too soft to be a visor, yet its white eye-like spot outlined in red make it look like one. His blonde hair is done up like what I can best describe as a fireball zooming over the left of his head, he has hazel eyes, and a bandage over his left cheek. I have to admit that Django's outfit, while perhaps a little over the top, looks good on him. He doesn't look like he's much older than me, but he's not looking very heroic right now… I can see exhaustion and malnourishment on his features. Not too surprising since he's been here the longest out of us all.

The Dark Boy – as Sabata referred to himself – wasn't all that different from Django. All of his clothing is pretty much the same, except whatever was beige is purple and whatever was grey is black. His scarf is sky blue, his hair is purple and unkempt with a long bang drooping over either side of his face, and his eyes are a menacing dark crimson. He even has a scar on his left cheek, but no bandage to cover it. It's like looking at a more sinister mirror image of the Solar Boy, not at all unlike some of my recent nightmares…

It's eating me up inside as I learn about these brothers, listening to their stories. Their appearance is so similar yet their personalities are so different, as Sabata seems more blunt and antihero-ish than Django. According to them, they've even been forced to fight each other more than once because of dark forces manipulating the evil in the Dark Boy's body… it's just like with me and Claus. I've had to fight against my own twin brother numerous times because of Porky's control over him… but we were never able to truly make peace. There was no happy ending for me _or_ Claus, and yet these two were able to overcome their feuds and live together peacefully. Django and Sabata have done what I destroyed my own world _trying_ to do… to bring my family back together and my world into a state of peace. I'm not sure whether to be angry and jealous, or sympathetic and respectful.

For the past two hours, since none of us are able to break down the door and I can't try my PSI until my head clears up, the four of us had resigned ourselves to learning about each other and catching up on current events. I didn't go into any great detail about my past; in spite of how many people I've been forced to tell what made me who I am, it's still a subject I'm not comfortable with. I may have been able to fight through losing my mother way back when, but that never meant I actually got over it. The nightmares still haunt me…

So right now, the subject of discussion was how I became a half-vampire. "So who was the vampire that bit you?" Sabata asked. Django hadn't done much of the talking… he was clearly weak right now. "He must be pretty weak if he only partially transformed you."

The darker brother was about to learn just how wrong he was. Lyn was doing most of the speaking for me since I wasn't in such great shape. "His name is Shadow, but… I'm not sure if he _is_ a vampire." she tells him. "Lucas said he called himself something else… what was it? An Eternal?"

"ETERNAL!" both Sabata and the malnourished Django bellowed at once. "Your enemy is an Eternal!?" the former asked.

"You know of the Eternals?" Lyn inquired, neither her nor I expecting their critical reaction.

"Unfortunately… one of the damn things enslaved my mind…" Sabata said, venom in his tone. Obviously it wasn't a fond memory. "And you're saying he's been _bitten_ by one? He's lucky he's still breathing."

If he only knew the hell I've been through over the past while… luck seems to be the _only_ thing keeping me alive lately. "What _are_ Eternals? Neither Lucas nor myself really know."

A low growl rumbled out of Sabata's lips before he answered her. "They're vile, terrible beasts without a soul. They don't think, they don't feel… they know only destruction. As far as we know they can't die, hence their name, but I've never actually seen what happens if you try to kill them…"

Well, most of that fits Shadow fairly well, other than the part about not thinking… from all the times I've confronted Shadow and spoken with him, he seemed quite capable of rational thought. "I've seen it…" I rasp out. Lyn looks down at me with worry. "He spawned a new body… tore his way out of his old one like a cocoon…"

"And Shadow can think." Lyn continued for me. "He and Lucas have spoken with each other many times."

"…Huh." Sabata scoffed. "Pretty weird… you _sure_ he isn't a vampire?"

"No, I think they're right…" Django interrupted. "Vampires vanish and reappear somewhere else when they die normally… I've never heard of anything like this before…"

"Well, whatever this creature is…" Lyn says, "He's responsible for turning Lucas into a half-vampire. That's why we came here…" She looks back down at me, as if trying to ask me something, before finishing with, "To get this curse lifted."

I understand why she hesitated… she didn't want to mention my attack on Wolf. So far there's been no mention of my mental condition, so they don't know about my potentially-murderous tendencies, or that it took me biting into the canine Smasher's neck before I realized I needed help that the manor couldn't offer. That information was best kept a secret from all but Lyn and myself, I don't want to jeopardize any help we might receive.

"Well, I'm not sure how we can help." Sabata stated bluntly. "I tried to purify Django when _he_ was bitten with vampire blood, and it didn't do squat." Oh no… is that true? "But… I'm not as good at it as Django. If he does it, you might have a better shot."

"But… Otenko…" Django said. "We need him… the Piledriver was destroyed, remember…?" Sabata groaned in reply.

"Piledriver? What is that?" Lyn asked.

"It's what we use to purify Immortals." Sabata answered. He told us earlier that "Immortal" is the term the people of this world use to classify beings such as vampires, werewolves, demons and so forth. Quite simply it means that they can't die through conventional means. "The sorcerer wrecked it in her fight with Django… and Master Otenko is the only one who can summon it again."

Suddenly, all was silent. Master Otenko… we've already told Django and Sabata of the danger he was in. If Eggman Nega gets away with turning him into energy, then… the Piledriver will be forever lost. That wouldn't only be a disaster for me, but for everyone else in this world; they _need_ the Piledriver to truly destroy Immortals judging from what I've learned. Without it, San Miguel is doomed.

"How can Shadow… do this…?" I rasp.

"That inhuman monster!" Lyn shouted, enraged. "Dooming an entire world for the sole sake of keeping Lucas as a vampire!? It's beyond despicable! How many more lives must he destroy before he's satisfied!?"

_Ba-dump._

A hoarse gasp escapes my throat, surprise and horror making my back arch and stay that way for a few seconds. Oh no… oh no oh no oh no… that familiar burning sensation is starting again, I can feel it even through the numbness in my body… damnit, how long has it been!? Is it 7:00 PM already!? "L-L… Lyn…!"

"Lucas!? What's wrong!?" she asks me with great concern.

I'm trying to tell Lyn to get away from me, but my throat has all of the sudden become so raspy that my plea comes out as coughs and gags. My body is twitching and writhing completely on its own, I haven't the strength to move myself. But the pain… it's still as intense as ever, it's horrible… ack, my throat…! So… dry…! M… my _back_! Something bursts out of my back – I can only assume it's my wings – and catapults me off of Lyn. I'm already too disoriented and anguished to even regard the pain from the resulting pratfall. I can hear everyone yelling things, but I'm too preoccupied with my own pain to discern what they're saying. It's out of luck more than will that my body wound up in fetal position, so that my screams wouldn't be so loud to the others. But I'm sure they still heard them…

Then, like before, the pain suddenly vanishes as quickly as it appeared. I'm left as a crumpled heap on the floor, panting heavily with sweat dripping from my face. This position is uncomfortable, but I still can't move… my body is still numb. And my throat… it burns the worst it has so far. I'm so thirsty…! Damnit… the supplies were taken away… I don't have Lita's tomato juice to fall back on. I need… blood…

I hear footsteps. My head, being the only thing I can move without incident, turns to see Lyn slowly walking towards me. "STAY BACK!" I shout at her, ignoring my windpipe's aching protest. She stops. "S-stay away from me…! I… I need blood…!"

That's all I can get out before my throat ultimately subsides to the pain. I can't speak… I can hardly even cough now… I think I'm suffocating… "Not good." Sabata says. "Lucas has been too long without real blood. If he doesn't drink soon, he'll die."

Wh… what!? If I don't drink blood… I'll… _die_? B-but… _no_! I can't drink _now_! The only sources of blood are the twins and… Lyn! I can't drink from _them_! They could be seriously hurt! I don't even know what became of Wolf after my fangs tore into his neck! Ugh… my… my stomach… no, my whole body… burning up inside…! A groan escapes my frayed throat, and I shut my eyes tightly… it _hurts_!

"Lucas…" Lyn's voice is very close, right by my ear. I can feel her lifting my body up, her hand on the back of my head… my eyes shoot open when I smell the scent of her flesh. I'm staring right at her exposed arm. "You need the blood. Please… take mine."

My eyes shift to Lyn's face which has moisture forming at the eyelids. I look at her as if she were mad. "_NO_!" I cry out, hurting my throat even more in the process. Damnit… why is this happening to me!? I don't want to hurt Lyn! I can't… I won't! I can't hurt her just to help myself! And this is _blood_ we're dealing with! The mere sight of it has driven me into a murderous rage before, what if I lose my mind again!? Around them!? Around _her_!?

"Lucas, you have to!" Lyn urges me. "I don't care what you have to do… just… try not to get carried away…"

B-but… ahh, _Lyn_! She's fully aware that I could go crazy from this, and she doesn't even know what could happen to her if I bite her… I don't want her to take such a risk… ugh, but… my body… I… I _need blood_… every bit of rational thought left in my mind was screaming at me not to do this, but my body was crying out in protest at my refusal. I… I don't think I have a choice… all I can do is pray that… it doesn't turn out like what happened with Wolf… my gaze falls back to her arm… I can't resist the urge anymore… I _must_ do this… the best I can do is be careful not to inflict too much pain. I'm only doing this to draw blood and nothing else…

Slowly and cautiously, I dig my fangs into her arm. I hear her grunt and seethe; damnit, I've hurt her…! I'd apologize if I could, but the blood is already beginning to flow… already hitting my tongue. My mind is attacked by memories of past bloodshed, when the drop from one of Princia's servants hit my mouth, when I drank Wolf's blood straight from his neck… when I spilt it fro—_NO_! I will _not_ lose my mind _now_! I will _not_ hurt Lyn!

I focus so hard on trying to maintain my fragile sanity that I lose track of time; how long was I sucking her blood!? I quickly pull my head away… that's when I realize that not only had the burning in my body and throat completely disappeared, but that my body wasn't numb anymore. Did drinking that blood… revitalize me? But my head… my vision is foggy, and I can hardly think straight. My urges for blood – to drink or simply to spill, I can't tell – are going full-blast, fighting with my desire not to hurt Lyn or the brothers. I grasp my head in an attempt to focus myself…

"He didn't inject vampire blood into you…" I regain my senses just in time to notice that Sabata has rushed to our side, inspecting the wound on Lyn's arm. "You'll live, but _damn_, you're crazy! You could've died if Lucas didn't pull away!" he scolded her, ripping off a piece of the cloth around his waist and wrapping it around the bite mark on her arm as a bandage.

No… I… I've hurt her… "I… I… _I'm so sorry_!" I wail, burying my head into her chest.

"Lucas… are you okay?" Lyn sounds weak, but still more concerned about me than herself…

God, what have I done!? I nearly _killed_ my best friend… and for what!? For a little blood, just to save my own skin!? Why… why did this have to happen!? I didn't want to hurt her! Damn Shadow, damn Eggman Nega for making me hurt her! "AAAAAAAAGH!" I cry out in rage and agony, feeling my mind rip in two. I can no longer able to contain the urge to destroy something… I can only prevent myself from hurting Lyn and the twins while my thoughts rapidly turn to the ones responsible. Shadow, the unknown sorcerer, Eggman Nega… he's the one who locked us up. He's the one who forced me to hurt my friend! I rush for the oversized metal door and thrash my vampire claws on it, wanting to get out and take revenge on this sadistic mockery of a living being. "NEEEGAAA!"

My mind suddenly does a double-take, to find that I'm not staring at the metal door anymore… or any kind of metal for that matter. I'm looking at a very _big_ room with a stand holding huge, lit candles in the center. What the... what happened to the door? I look around, eventually downward… there it is, laying flat on the ground… with a bunch of very sizeable dents in it…

"Uhh… I think he's fine, Lyn." I hear Sabata say. "Way to channel your anger, kid."

I slowly turn around to find everyone staring at me wide-eyed, Django also with his jaw hanging open. I look at the door on the ground, and then back at them. I'm too flabbergasted to simply ask them verbally if I did that, I can only point at myself. Lyn and Django nod in unison. "Ho… holy…" Well, maybe "holy" isn't the right word, but still! I just knocked a foot-thick steel slab off of its foundation, off of its hinges and dented it in nine places with my _bare hands_!

"Is that… normal for a vampire?" Lyn asked, clutching the wound on her arm as she tries to stand up.

"Depends on what kind it is." Sabata tells her. "Different Immortals have different powers, and those powers get transferred to whatever they bite with their own blood… if the victim survives, that is." He looks at me. "And _you_ were bitten by an Eternal, a creature that even Immortals fear, and _lived_! Enhanced speed and strength are probably the tip of the iceberg."

I look down at my claws, first the palms, then the wrists. They don't even hurt at all despite that I punched solid steel, and there's no sign of injury. And this was just the beginning? "Th… that's kinda scary…" I mutter, knowing full well that it's a huge understatement. When I lose my mind in my normal, human body, my PSI takes a huge increase in power. What if that happened in _this_ form? Even now my mind hasn't quite recovered from drinking Lyn's blood… thinking of the destruction I could cause both excites and terrifies me.

"Lucas, look out!" Lyn shrieks, bringing me out of my thoughts. I hear heavy footsteps from behind me and spin around, and all of the sudden I'm staring down the barrel of a gun. More from instinct than willpower my right claw flies up to point that cannon somewhere else, and not second later it fires a green laser blast that impacts on the ceiling. I can see what I'm fighting now; one of Eggman Nega's robot guards. Remembering what my fist did to the door, I plant it into the optics of the robot. Shards of glass and dislodged metal from its "face" falling to the ground, it careens backward through the air, and into another guard robot that I hadn't seen in the doorway beyond this room; a very far distance, mind you. It was a good thing Lyn warned me!

"Man, he packs a wallop." Sabata commented, running over to his brother, taking his arm over his shoulder and lifting him up. "Think you can keep doing that until we get our weapons back?"

…It was only then that I fully grasped that we were no longer trapped in this room. I feel stupid for not realizing it before… I was too wrapped up in how I knocked down a block of _solid steel_. Lyn, Sabata and Django were virtually unarmed right now… but a cursory glance around the next room showed that I might not need to protect them. Just to the left of the fallen steel door was a table holding my spear, the Mani Katti, and two very strangely-shaped guns. The first looked like a clunky, heavy pistol, but with some kind of lens on it that was coloured a bright yellow. The gun itself was silver. The other gun was also a pistol of the same size, but with a sleeker design and was coloured blue and red. Its lens was red, and it had some kind of attachment to the bottom of the barrel.

"I won't have to!" I call back to Sabata. "All our weapons are right here!" Clearly Eggman Nega hadn't planned on us getting out… though with solid steel plating trapping us in a room, I wouldn't have counted on it either.

* * *

For the next few moments, chaos reigned. The four of us – with the Dark Boy carrying the Solar Boy around – made our way around the cathedral, and according to the Solar Boy we were in the basement. Eggman Nega's robots were coming at us in a seemingly endless swarm, and one by one we reduced them to scrap. Django and Sabata were firing rounds made of sunlight and darkness respectively – I'm not sure why, but somehow I just knew what they were – at every enemy in sight, and Lyn's swordplay was elegant as ever despite her injured arm. She had the foresight to lend me her left arm instead of her dominant right… I still feel terrible for having to suck her blood, but fortunately she doesn't seem too disoriented from it; I guess I didn't drink too much after all.

As for myself, whether with my spear, fist or boot, I was sending robots flying. Most of them never got a chance to fire their beam cannons, and those that did missed entirely. Despite their numbers, they actually seem quite… weak compared to the four of us. Which is hardly a bad thing. It did serve as a chance for me to get accustomed to fighting as a vampire, however… I had to get used to the fact that I had claws instead of normal hands now, as well as super-speed and super-strength. More than once I flung myself into a wall by accident, which was… embarrassing. At least it made Sabata chuckle. Honestly, it was too bland a fight to go into any great detail about. A small part of my mind is wishing that these hunks of junk would lose blood instead of oil – or whatever it was that pumped through their artificial veins – but I assume it's just the vampire in me and ignore it. Little by little, my head is recovering from that horrific experience.

Eventually we fought our way up the stairs and into the cathedral's entrance hall, which was devoid of all but a couple of guard robots. I expected this big room to have more security, but surmise that the majority of the enemy forces must have rushed down the stairs to cut us off… and failed miserably. Django and Sabata dealt with the remaining two easily. "Well, we're out of the basement… where do we go now?" Lyn asked.

"The roof…" Django tells us. "Master Otenko… he's on the roof…"

The… roof…? As bizarre as it sounds, something tells me that Django is right… it's as if I can feel a hot energy from high above me. But that's as specific as I can be. It's weird… am I sensing Master Otenko? But that can't be… my PSI doesn't work in this form, and I was never told that Otenko was psychic… it's very strange, so I keep quiet about it since I don't know what it is.

Regardless, he's up there, so that's where we're going. Django gives us directions as we continue on, pointing us towards the fastest way up the floors of the cathedral. More robots were waiting for us, and they fell just as quickly as the ones that preceded them. Security was definitely thinner up here… then again I can understand why Eggman Nega wouldn't expect anyone to get this far, having so many guards on the ground and a solid-steel prison, not to mention the people of San Miguel probably don't have flight technology yet. We just kept looking for sets of stairs that lead upwards, eventually coming to one that was made of metal scaffolding instead of the oak and stone staircases we had become used to seeing in here. It was probably of Eggman Nega's creation, and a good indication of where to go. We climbed it, and were greeted with a cloud-covered, night sky.

Two robots guards tried to get potshots at us as we emerged from the stairs, but they were ducked. Django and Sabata took them down quickly. The roof of the cathedral was fairly big, reinforced with metal plating in many places… again, it had to be Eggman Nega's work. Said scientist was also here on the roof with us, standing all the way at the other end. The mere sight of this man just… makes my tainted blood boil. At his side was a person wearing robes blacker than the sky… I couldn't make anything out from here. Behind him was a huge machine… it looked like the hologram that Lyn and I saw in the mass hall, but with a big difference; on top of the machine was another of its cylinders, larger and wider, and holding something in it.

"Master Otenko!" Django cried out. So that's Otenko…? I can't see him clearly from here, but he looks kind of… small.

"That's the sorcerer that attacked us!" Sabata yelled, probably referring to the person standing beside Eggman Nega.

At last, the enemy was in sight. The four of us rush up to confront them. "Persistent pests… you're more resourceful than I'd supposed. How did you get out of the holding cell?" Eggman Nega asks. Despite that we demolished the vast majority of his robotic army and were right in front of him with nothing to protect him, he seemed… calm. I can't tell for sure since I can't use my PSI right now, but it was unnerving to seeing him so composed right now.

Before I can answer him, the sorcerer takes the words out of my mouth. "He used his physical strength. A steel slab is not much of an obstacle to a vampire. Yet another critical oversight, Doctor." Being closer now, I can see some of the sorcerer's complexion… and it makes me shiver in fear. Her skin is blue, and I can see red glowing underneath the shade of her hood. That meant one of two things: either this is a vampire, or a victim of Giygas' mind control. Again, not having access to my PSI, I can't tell for certain. But perhaps more unnerving is her voice… I swear I've heard it before, but I can't place it.

Eggman Nega looked at the sorcerer. "Are you just going to stand there chastising me, or will you do something about these intruders?" he asked. That was enough to put me on my guard, readying my spear. I can hear the others preparing their own weapons behind me.

Not even moving, not even blinking, the sorcerer replied, "I choose to do neither."

This had incited a surprised reaction not only from us, but even from Eggman Nega. "I beg your pardon!?" Suddenly he wasn't so calm anymore.

"I was sent here for two objectives, the first to capture the Solar Boy and the Solar Messenger, the second to oversee the completion your own mission." the sorcerer stated, finally looking at him in the eyes. "Your mission was to use them as bait to lure Lucas and then eliminate both of them using whatever means you saw fit. You have your reasons for leaving Otenko alive, however there is no excuse for Django to be here right now."

"There was no reason to destroy Django!" Eggman Nega argues. "Without Otenko, he can't purify--"

"There is more than one Piledriver in this world." the sorcerer interrupts, perhaps unwittingly giving me a helpful bit of information. There is more than one? A small glimmer of hope rises up in my heart. "Otenko had placed them in numerous areas during his travels with the Solar Boy. But he cannot use them. Django _can_. You were told all of this from the beginning. You should have known to kill him before he became a threat. Or…" The sorcerer paused. "Could it be that you simply could not bring yourself to kill him? Is there a heart capable of displaying sympathy under that cold façade?"

Clearly these two didn't get along very well… this would normally be when someone sneaks around to do something about the machine, but there was nowhere to move where we couldn't be seen, so that wasn't an option. "You dare to question my integrity!?" Eggman Nega snaps back at the sorcerer.

"Perhaps Shadow thought too highly of you…" the sorcerer says, blatantly ignoring Eggman Nega's question. "Remember the consequences of failure as you try to redeem yourself by eliminating these intruders."

Just as she finished that sentence, a shimmering, blue and purple light appeared beneath her. It formed some kind of arcane symbol, which then quickly rose up around her. The parts of her body it crossed vanished completely, until she had completely disappeared. The light followed suit shortly after. She was gone, leaving Eggman Nega all on his own.

Sabata chuckled menacingly. "_This_ tub of lard is going to stop us? Yeah, right…" he said.

The Dark Boy had a point. There were no more guards on the roof, and the only machine here was the energy-drainer. There was nothing between us and Eggman Nega. That knowledge gave way to some of the bloodlust I had tried to ignore… my claws are shaking, eager to rip apart this heartless tub of lard for what he's done. But the mad doctor, in spite of the odds against him, grinned. "How quickly we forget, Dark Boy. You haven't destroyed all of my machines just yet..." Wait, what does he mean by that?

As if cued by my thoughts, the cathedral begins to rumble. I hear several explosions and the sounds of shattered glass and crumbling bricks, and before long we see _them_ again. Those massive, metal cables that had caught us before, rising up from every side of the cathedral… that's right, we hadn't seen them during our escape. All the cables were arching their impossibly long lengths to make a beeline for us. They don't look like they're going to grab us this time, they seem ready to slam into us instead. "Why did I have to jinx it!?" Sabata complains as we all jump out of the way. I look back in just in time to see the cables crash through the portion of roof we'd just been standing on. They quickly retract out of the hole, and I'm expecting them to come at us again… but they don't. They just wiggle in the air, clanking and menacing.

More rumbling, this time more intense than before, along with an ominous gurgling coming from the new hole in the cathedral roof. Wood and metal go flying as something bursts out, making us all jump back. I could only look in awe and terror at what had rose out… it was _massive_, with a triangular-shaped forehead that had a hole in it, and what resembled a face below it. It's two glowing, giant red optics were made up of hexagons, like a fly's eyes. A large cannon is where the mouth should be…

It's quite literally a giant, robotic squid.

It seemed that Eggman Nega wasn't at all unlike his counterpart. According to Sonic, the Dr. Eggman he was more familiar with built massive war machines out of whatever inspirations he got. He couldn't count how many he had destroyed, making it sound so simple… but finally staring down one of those mechanical monstrosities myself, I think all of that adrenaline that Sonic feels has rotted his brain somewhat. A normal man would either faint or wet his pants – maybe even both – at the mere _sight_ of this thing, and I knew from my past experience with its tentacles that it was every bit as dangerous as it looked.

Eggman Nega's laugh resonates from above, and I look up to see him piloting some kind of vehicle… it's a circular, hovering thing, coloured black with a pair of thin, red wings and a thinner red antenna sticking out of the bottom. That's all I can see from down here. Lyn, Sabata and the carried-along Django regrouped at either side of me, readying their weapons. I quickly mimic the action. "It's really quite sad, how quickly Shadow writes me off for a single misstep." he says. "He'll change his opinion of me once I crush the lot of you and deliver his little vampire to him." His vehicle sank perfectly into the little nook atop the robotic squid's top portion, producing a "click" sound and a glass shield to encompass the impromptu cockpit. "Egg Kraken, _GO_!"

The enormous head of the robot shook and writhed in the hole in the roof as it let out the robotic equivalent of a roar… it's eerily similar to that of the Subspace robot I fought before, Galleom I think it was called. When the roar had ceased, its mouth was pointed directly at us. I could hear a hollow, gurgling echo coming out of it… like something was coming out. Was it going to squirt ink? Normally I wouldn't think that's such a bad thing, but with a mouth that big I wasn't going to take any chances. Everyone dashes to the sides – me and Lyn to the left, Sabata and his passenger Django to the right – as not ink, but a torrent of flame blasted out of the Egg Kraken's mouth-cannon. The mouth quickly moved to target Lyn and I however, and eventually we ran out of room to run on the left side of the roof and were forced to make a high jump over the flame. I knew Lyn would do it without a problem, but I'm still getting used to my new form's heightened skills and reflexes. I jumped _too_ high, and without my PSI to restore my balance, I landed painfully on my left knee. It's not bad, but my lack of athleticism is enough to make me curse under my breath.

Lyn shoots me a dirty look… right, she's never heard me curse before. It's starting to become a bad habit of mine. But she knows this is not a good time to scold me, and instead turns her attention back to the enemy. She slashes at the Egg Kraken's "face" with her Mani Katti, but to the surprise of both her and myself, it just barely grazes it in a slight shower of sparks. Considering that Lyn's legendary katana is _meant_ for cleaving armor, this mechanical beast's outer plating must be really ridiculously hard. Remembering how the steel jail cell door went down with my claws, I try them out on the Egg Kraken as well… but even though I shake the machine a bit, I have no more success than Lyn; I only make a couple of very small dents. A cursory glance over to Django and Sabata shows that they aren't doing much better, their blasts of sunlight and darkness just ricocheting off of the armor and into the cloudy night sky. Regardless of the minute effects of their attacks, the Egg Kraken sees fit to stop them anyway; four of its massive, metal tentacles reach into the sky in pairs, electricity arcing through the open air to each other. This electricity is fired off at us in the form of fast-moving yellow spheres, making us all hastily retreat from where we were standing. And for good reason it seems, as the electricity was powerful enough to blast holes with melted edges in the roof. I noted with great relief that they hadn't struck any of the metal reinforcement, but made sure to watch out for that in the near future. One misstep could electrocute us.

"That was too close." Lyn muttered, visibly shaken and probably making the same revelation that I just did. This Egg Kraken was just too dangerous for us to fight for very long… we have to destroy it quickly. But how can we get through such strong armor plating? I need to think… Sonic dealt with this all the time, how did he best destroy these machines?

"The cockpit!" I shout upon remembering. "Aim for the cockpit!" I tell everyone. Sonic never did figure out why – or at least he never told me the reason – but something about how Eggman links up his machines to his hoverchair causes them to go haywire when it takes too much damage. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that because Eggman and Eggman Nega are so similar, their designs aren't much different. But that posed another problem for me; Lyn was athletic enough to probably run up the side of the Egg Kraken, and Django and Sabata could just shoot the cockpit, how would _I_ scale that enormous height to get a good shot?

Unfortunately I don't get much time to think about it, as an Egg Kraken tentacle not charging another electrical blast come sweeping along the rooftop at Lyn and I. She jumps, but I am punished for my brief lack of concentration and can't get out of the way. I can only brace myself and dig my shoes into the roof as it connects and pushes me right to the edge… but at the last few inches I manage to stop the momentum, now with my claws dug into the tentacle. This metal must be weaker than that of the main body. Taking note that I now have a firm grip on it, I use my enhanced strength to hurl the thing right up at Eggman Nega. The robot can't compensate for the appendage's changed trajectory, and it slams right into him. I hear the mad doctor scream in surprise and horror as his precious weapon careens backwards, shaking itself and its tentacles – along with the whole cathedral – and flashing its eyes. Definite damage has been done, but apparently not enough as the Egg Kraken quickly rights itself and repeats its terrifying roar, as if angered.

Seeing that the cockpit was indeed a viable weak point, Django and Sabata go as close to it as they can – on the left side of the mouth cannon – and point their weapons up at the cockpit… but they don't fire. But when I see balls of sunlight and darkness gradually expanding outside of their gun barrels, I realize that they're charging up an attack. A daring strategy since they can't protect themselves while doing this, but it seems Lyn has that covered; she takes a big vertical leap and runs right up the side of the Egg Kraken, just like I thought she would. Within seconds she's at the cockpit, surprising Eggman Nega and driving her sword straight in through the glass. I don't hear any bloodcurdling screams of pain from the doctor, but the Egg Kraken is throwing another fit, so I assume she stabbed whatever served as the control panel. But again, it recovers, and this time launches a counterattack with two of its tentacles attempting to crush Lyn in between them. She quickly jumps out of the way, and just in time; the loud "thud" impact from the tentacles that I could feel from here informs me that if she'd stayed put, she would've been flattened like a pancake.

Fortunately, Lyn's maneuver bought the twins enough time to finish charging their weapons; the bright yellow and dark crimson energies of their guns merged into a beautiful, bright purple ball that fired straight up. It exploded in a shower of light and sparks on the bottom of the cockpit, making the Egg Kraken roar in discontent. Another pair of tentacles came swinging down towards the brothers, but Sabata and Django flash that same bright purple before disappearing, just before the appendages came crashing into the roof, and the reappearing a split second later beside them. Sabata had used this move on the way up here; he called it "Zero Shift," a low-grade teleportation technique meant for getting out of harm's way, and also for covering large distances quickly with repeated uses.

An angered growl showed that Eggman Nega was getting angry. "Stop moving around so much!" he complained, moving the Egg Kraken's tentacles into their electricity-shooting position again. But instead of aiming for us, the shots instead impacted the metal scaffolding that reinforced the roof. Within moments I could feel a tingly heat coming from the nearest one, which was right by my foot; I quickly step away. He's trying to restrict our movement by electrifying those parts of the ground… we'd have to hop over them, and since Sabata is the only one able to change direction in mid-air – by using Zero Shift – I'd say Eggman Nega has succeeded. It doesn't fill me with great joy knowing that _I'm_ now the one in the most danger, being on the edge of the roof with the least space to move. And unfortunately, he is aware of this and makes the four available tentacles weave into a large, mobile wall and sends them at me.

Panic sets in; I could barely stop the motion of _one_ tentacle, and that was when I was halfway across from where I'm standing now! Four would probably send me flying, but I can't possibly jump over the huge things when they're set up like that! Wait… flying…

A solution enters my head as if it were rammed into a wall of bricks; I have _wings_! Throughout my whole experience as a vampire, I haven't once used these large bat wings for anything… surely they're useful for more than being dead weight. It's my only chance. Hoping to combine by enhanced athleticism with the ability to – hopefully – fly, I make as big of a leap as I can muster straight up into the air, trying frantically to move my wings. Seeing as they're sticking out of my back shoulder blades, I think of the best way to move them… and that would be to use the "butterfly" technique of swimming, extending my arms as far up as possible them bringing them down. I certain it looks ridiculous to make such motions _outside_ of the water, but it works; I can feel my wings pressing against the air. It's not much, but it's _just_ enough to get me over the tentacles.

Through my elatedness that I got that to work, I notice I'm staring directly at Eggman Nega, who is looking back at me with a flabbergasted expression… I can reach his height level? That means I can attack! Upon landing – not on any of the scaffolding, thank God – I bound my way over to the front of the Egg Kraken. It's about to breathe fire at me… but I'm not worried. I know I can jump before it fires, but for the sake of preparation, I take as much time as I can before leaping upwards. Again I have to make that embarrassing motion to get my wings moving – I'm sure there's a better way, but I'll figure it out later – but I add a twist to it… a literal twist as I begin my jump, spinning around in the air to build up momentum for my attack. Briefly I can see the expression on Eggman Nega's face, his teeth gritted in grim anticipation. He knows this is going to hurt.

I ball my claw into a fist and slam it as hard as I can into the cockpit, so hard I can feel the reverberation in my own body. Super strength didn't stop _that_ one from making my hand ache… but the result was better than I could've hoped for; the impact and knocked the Egg Kraken _out of the roof_, sending chunks of wood and metal flying and dragging its tentacles along with it as it landed behind the building with a crash. I try to shake the pain out of my hand when I land back on the roof, just barely outside of the hole.

I can hear Sabata whistling in approval. "Wow… I never thought I'd say this to a vampire, but that was _awesome_!" Django cheered. I can't help but blush, rubbing the back of my head… did I really do that well?

"Is it over?" I hear Lyn ask as she walks up beside me. Her question makes me alert again; just because I knocked the Egg Kraken out of its hole doesn't mean that it's finished.

"Oh, it will be over very shortly…" echoes Eggman Nega's voice. The Egg Kraken suddenly rises over the side of the cathedral roof, and keeps going… I can now see the bottom of it; it's little more than a circular pedestal that has the eight tentacles sticking out of it… but with one big addition; the _huge rocket on its underside_. Quickly it flies up and over the cathedral, far out of our reach and I daresay out of Django and Sabata's range. "Now I understand why Shadow wants to get a hold of you so badly, Lucas. Your power is indeed formidable, regardless of your form…" Eggman Nega says. The Egg Kraken stops ascending, taking a very high position in the sky. "That is why he must not have you. I have decided that you are far too dangerous to be left alive…" His voice is suddenly calm and collected again… I'm quickly learning that whenever he talks like that, he's going to do something bad. "So I am going to use every available ounce of energy left in my Egg Kraken to destroy you."

Before anyone can ask just how he plans to do that, the Egg Kraken moves into an angled trajectory so that its rocket is pointing directly at me. The eight tentacles go point downward at me, and then they start spinning like a turntable. Fear strikes my heart when I can see a ball of electricity forming in the air that the tentacles are circling, and it's growing… _fast_. The normal balls of electricity from the Egg Kraken were strong enough to punch holes into this building… I shudder to think of what _this_ will do. I'd say a good guess is that it will destroy the whole cathedral. Django and Sabata are firing at the Egg Kraken from where they are in an attempt to stop the thing from charging, but they don't change anything. This doesn't look good… Lyn takes a step back with a grim expression on her face. She knows we can't do anything about this…

"I do hate to ruin a perfectly good machine, but I can simply build another." Eggman Nega continues. The ball of electricity has quickly grown, now so large that it doesn't fit in the space provided by the tentacles. "Farewell, Lucas!"

I see a bright flash and hear a loud bang, and I shut my eyes in terror. Lyn grips my shoulders tightly. Is this… the end…?

But in spite of the flash that blinded me, I feel no pain… utterly confused, I open one eye to look up at the Egg Kraken… to see that its ball of electricity is dissipating. Much to my surprise, there is now a very large hole, as if something dug right through it. "Wh… what!?" I hear Eggman Nega cry out in shock, just before the Egg Kraken spontaneously explodes. "GUUUOOOOOHHH!" His resulting scream has jarred everyone out of their near-death positions, and we all looked at the smoldering, falling remains of the massive machine. What on earth just happened!? I look at a piece of the debris falling erratically… it's Eggman Nega's hoverchair, making a feeble attempt to right itself in the air as it flies past us…

And then runs into another airborne, metal object in the sky with a "clank." I… I don't believe it. This object is another _massive_ airship, painted a dull-red with four bat-modeled wings that are each as wide as the ship is long. There is an enormous silver mask at its bow with a plain visor, the telltale sign of who it belongs to. It's… it's Meta Knight's battleship…

The Halberd.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I guess we came just in time?" rings out a deep, male voice.

"Snake!" I shout back happily, recognizing his voice immediately.

"Who?" Django and Sabata both ask at once… while they gawk at the massive, airborne battle cruiser.

"He's a… friend of ours." Lyn informs the twins. This was going to take some time to explain for sure…

But that's hardly a bad thing in this case. For a minute, I thought my time was up… it looks like my luck hasn't run out just yet.

* * *

**A/N:** A last-minute save by everyone's favorite secret agent man. But they have only defeated an apparent underling… Shadow is more cruel than they could've imagined. R&R!


	22. Intermezzo: Half Circle

**A/N:** As an apology for the long hiatus I was put under, I bring you somewhat of a bonus chapter. It should offer some insight into the enemy that our tormented protagonist faces.

* * *

NOTE: This part of the story is told from Shadow's POV.

_Intermezzo: Half-Circle_

I am watching. The poor child doesn't know that I am always watching. I can see every move he and his "friends" make, all made possible by this fusion of science and magic that would rival the technology of the Planet Magica. And they're none the wiser. Truly sad.

"Well… that was anticlimactic." I say as I slump into this chair that could've been made for a king, red cushions and golden supports, with one elbow on an armrest to support my leaning head. I was watching Lucas' latest endeavor, expecting, _hoping_ that Eggman Nega's final attack would've done something noteworthy. Instead he was blown out of the sky before he could fire by some opportunistic Smashers that had just arrived. Oh well… he served his purpose. That miserable excuse for a sun spirit sustained far too much damage to be of any help to the boy now. Recovery will take a long time… far more time than I need.

And yet, despite this part of the operation being a success… something irks me. That girl, the one hanging around Lucas… what was her name?

_Lady Lyndis of Caelin._

A low growl escapes my throat. "What did I tell you about reading my mind?" I snarl, looking behind me at the giant test-tube apparatus – a "life-support system," he calls it – embedded within the wall of this dark room that contains my most powerful ally. Giygas… or "Giegue," apparently. I can't get over his true appearance… the spitting image of Mewtwo, as if to mock me. He looks like a half-breed of a human and a cat, his skin entirely white with no fur and a classic devil-like tail. It took me a while before I made the revelation that his red, demonic wisp-like form was really just _this_ form, only recoloured and stretched out a long, _long_ way. His build is so frail, it's no wonder he needs that life-support system filled with vital fluids.

_Then perhaps you should share your thoughts verbally for a change._

"Perhaps…" I reply nonchalantly, turning back to the holographic display panel in front of me. The current scene is far to mushy for my taste; everyone is boarding the Halberd, expressing their praises for Snake and Meta Knight. Django is pining over the torn-up form of Master Otenko; he'll recover, but it will take a _long_ time. Lucas is enjoying a hug from Lyndis when they finish walking up the entrance ramp, apologizing profusely to her for the bite on her arm. "Bah. Viewer off." I say. The holo-screen disappears, and the room's conventional lighting system takes over. It's an ominous space, the walls a deep-purple – black to the untrained eye – with semi-circle stairs leading up to my chair. Three doorways are at the other side of the large room.

Lyndis… granted she was the boy's confidant and best friend, but I hadn't expected her to intervene so. Master Hand was preventing everyone from leaving the Smash Manor, just as I'd predicted… she must have snuck out somehow. Fortunately, I have a contingency plan in case she proved troublesome. I always have a contingency plan for every conceivable situation.

_You were correct about the girl posing a problem. It seems that luck favours us however, considering that Lucas has not yet recognized his feelings for her._

"Oh, he recognizes it." I reply. "He just doesn't know what it is yet… that's proof that our madness-inducing escapades are working. But that could all be undone if Lyndis tries to help him with it, thanks to the boy confiding in her…"

_Then we have to eliminate her as soon as possible._

"**Destination achieved.**" booms a voice from what seems to be all directions.

A grin crosses my face as I stand up. "Which is why we've come here. I've looked into the history of Lyndis and her world, and I know everything I need to make her cease being a threat."

Indeed, I had a nigh-perfect plan to ensure Lyndis' quick, gruesome demise, and it started in her own world. I needed to make two stops here; first was the Kingdom of Bern, which was already done. Their military was no match for Giegue, who wanted to have some "fun" with the humans; he abducted their prince, Zephiel, and thus coaxed his father figure Murdock to join our cause. His power as a General-class was almost unrivaled, thus he would be more than a match for Lyndis as well as the one to take her down. And in case he didn't comply, there was the promise of borderline-mortal harm to Zephiel. Giegue proved this was possible… he never did tell me what kind of torture the crown prince of Bern was subjected to, but it left no part of his body without damage and was so traumatic that he couldn't speak afterwards. The guarantee of more to come was enough to convince Murdock to take part in our plan.

But there was a wrinkle in this scheme, and that was by some miracle that Lyndis defeats Murdock. That's why we've come here, to the Kingdom of Pherae, to make sure that doesn't happen. Lyndis _will_ be made to die, one way or another, and to ensure this I need a certain pair of people from this castle.

_You are certain you want to go? Our ship's weaponry is more than enough to level this archaic human structure._

"Oy, you've hard your fun with the humans, now it's my turn." I retort, but I do so with a smile. "Computer, show me the interior of Castle Pherae." I order. The lights in the room dim again, and the holo-screen returns. After showing a brief loading bar – presumably because it's scanning the castle – it provides me with a three-floor map of the castle below. The Marquess' private quarters are, unsurprisingly, on the top floor, so I decide to warp onto the roof. I cast a basic warping spell, and an arcane symbol appears underneath my feet and slowly engulfs me. For a moment, all I see is a rainbow of colour…

* * *

When the light fades, I am on top of Castle Pherae, right by the entrance door. I brace myself for the eventual onslaught of the castle guards… but to my surprise, there are none on the roof with me. This is strange… and mildly disappointing. I was hoping I'd get to kill something today. Bah. I open the door to the castle halls, and am greeted with the loud moan of a human female.

My eyebrow twitches. Was that what I think it was? Curious and fully aware that I have plenty of time, I decide to investigate. There are no guards in the hallways, either… what's the deal? I would think royalty would be better guarded than this…

"Ah-hah!"

That moan again… the female producing it must have a beautiful singing voice, I can tell. Suddenly, an explanation for the lack of security clicks in my mind; if I were the lord of a kingdom and I wanted a woman, I wouldn't want anyone to hear the results. If I'm right, then the Marquess is having a mating session with his wife and sent his guards away so he wouldn't arouse suspicion. Well… I suppose there won't be any killing if that's the case, but I can still get some amusement out of ruining their festivities. I quickly and quietly make my way through the castle halls until I find a door that's slightly open… the Marquess' quarters if I recall correctly.

"L-Lord Eliwood…!"

Ah-ha. I love it when I'm right.

I ram my left hand into the door, glad I have my full strength back, and cackle internally as the door explodes off of its hinges and smashes into the lavish décor of Marquess Eliwood's room. That crash is soon accompanied by a shriek so loud it hurts my ears, followed by the sound of metal scraping off of a sheath. Now I can see them. The Marquess of Pherae first, donned in blue pants and nothing else with fiery red hair. He has an impressive build for a mortal, and can probably wield that rapier he's holding quite well. The other person is a girl with long, flowing blue hair and dark-red eyes, rivaled by the blush on her admittedly cute face. She is using the blanket of the bed she's sitting on to cover the rest of her body.

"Marquess Eliwood of Pherae, and his wife Ninian the Ice Dragon." I address them both, before grinning madly. "Is this a bad time?"

* * *

Honestly, the resulting fight was too boring to even go into detail about. The short version is this: Eliwood was beaten to a bloody pulp, I threatened to do the same with Ninian, and thus I got them both to join me on my spaceship. I was hoping for a challenge… though I guess being effectively invincible makes finding a challenge kind of hard. Perhaps I would've had more fun if I'd allowed Ninian to use her dragonstone and take on her true form, but I'm trying _not_ to kill them. I keep forgetting how hard that is.

_I expected you to take longer than that._

I'm sitting in my chair again, wearing the same bored expression and assuming the same bored position as before… or as usual, I should say. "The Marquess sent his guards out so he could have a private mating session with his wife. Lame."

_You sound disappointed._

"Well, of course! I was hoping I'd get to destroy something… oh well. There's always next time."

_Indeed. So, do we have everything we need to set the operation into motion?_

Ah, he didn't read my mind that time. What a good sport. "Not just yet… there's still more to do, but with any luck it all should be done quickly. We still have one more stop to make, and I have one last use for Lucas while he still has free will…" I then turn my attention to the holo-screen displaying Lucas' and Lyndis' slumbering forms. Enjoy it while it lasts, boy… the noble lady of Caelin doesn't have long. "Computer. Activate the interdimensional warp-drive."

"**Select** **destination.**"

A grin crosses my face. "Planet Magica."

* * *

**A/N:** We already know Shadow is willing to ruin an entire world for the sake of his goals, nor is he beyond physical abuse... what sinister plot could he have for Lucas and Lyn?

A free cookie to the one who can make a correct guess! R&R!


	23. Chapter 21: Preparations

**A/N: Finally, a new chapter! I'm sorry for making you all wait so long, but things **_**will**_** get better.**

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* * *

  
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_Chapter 21: Preparations_

It's been a long time… a week and a half, maybe two? It's hard to believe that so much has happened to me in such a short time… only now, when I can experience some level of peace, do I realize how… unsettling it is. I just can't relax… knowing that Shadow is still out there, knowing that I'm his main target and that he'll go so far as to ruin an entire world just for the sake of damaging my sanity… I just can't relax anymore. I'm always on edge now, always wary.

Nonetheless, seeing some of my friends come to my aid was a welcome sight. Snake was here, along with Meta Knight – not surprising, he hates it when others pilot his Halberd – and, to my surprise, Ness and Paula. They ran out to greet me when I entered the enormous battleship and wouldn't stop expressing their concern for me. Apparently they knew I had left the manor, but they didn't know why… at least, not until the noticed the bandaged bite mark on Lyn's arm. They put two-and-two together and rightly scolded me for my attack on Wolf… but I was greatly relieved to learn that he survived. Thank God I don't have another death on my conscience. I couldn't stop apologizing to Lyn for having to suck her blood in the first place… but she told me not to worry about and that she was fine. If she hadn't fought so well against Eggman Nega and his Egg Kraken, I wouldn't have believed her. Speaking of whom, Meta Knight had flown out to fetch the mad doctor and throw him in the brig, while Django and Sabata tended to Master Otenko, who had almost been forgotten in the chaos of the battle. Destroying the machine and retrieving the Sun Spirit, I saw him for the first time. He really _was_ a sunflower… his appearance is exactly like one, only with two large, slit-like eyes and a long nose. He was pretty weakened, though… parts of him were missing, replaced with an eerie, bright-yellow glow. Django was worried, but Sabata assured him he would recover. I hope he's right… he may be my only hope of returning to normal.

Though it was at this point that fatigue kicked in, adrenaline from the battle abandoning me. I decided to get some much-needed rest, and Lyn joined me, insisting that she didn't want me to suffer through another nightmare. I didn't know how that would help, but at this point I was willing to try anything; recalling that bloody experience with Lyn back in the cathedral jail, I didn't want to risk any bad dreams distorting my ravaged mind further. Having her warmth beside me made me feel all tingly inside, and my heart was beating fast again… I still don't know why I get like this whenever she's near me. I still managed to get some sleep though, and much to my surprise, I didn't have a nightmare after all.

When I woke up, Lyn was still asleep beside me. I also noticed that I was no longer a vampire, but back in my normal form. I hadn't expected to sleep for so long… or so comfortably. I smiled and muttered a silent "thank you" before carefully moving myself out of her arms so as not to wake her. I couldn't help but muse at this warrior-woman looking so cute when she sleeps… she fights so furiously, yet is so warm and compassionate. I'm thankful to have someone as strong and kind as Lyn as a friend… but I'm envious of her, too. She acts the way that I _used_ to… before I began to change… I hope she never loses that part of herself. I wish I could be more like her.

I leave Lyn to her dreams and navigate my way to the Halberd's common room, which is a bit less… comfortable-looking that the other airship living spaces I've seen. It has the same dull-red colour scheme as the hull from the floor's metal plating to the metal furniture, though there were some nice, brighter-red cushions in them. Except for the circular table in the middle of the room and the area around the wide-screen TV at the left side of the room, the chairs and couches are pretty much randomly placed. A window that served as the far-side wall gave a great view of the land… in this case, the town of San Miguel at daytime.

Two people were in the common room at the moment: Snake and Meta Knight. I'm surprised that Ness and Paula aren't in here… perhaps the adults tired of their antics and locked them in their room, or rooms. I snicker at the thought. "Good morning." I greet them, and they both turn around to regard my presence.

"Morning, kid." Snake greets me in his usual tone. Meta Knight just nods. "Good to see you back to normal again."

I'm a bit surprised at this comment, Snake isn't usually concerned about others. But I take it in stride. "Glad to _be_ back to normal… even if it is just for the day." I reply. "Where are Ness and Paula? I thought they would've been pounding on my door to wake me up by now."

"They're out exploring the town." Snake replied. "They were _going_ to wake you up, but for some reason they decided not to when they went to your room."

Now _this_ was strange. I guess they were afraid of waking up Lyn… at least they weren't like some of the other Smashers and didn't treat Assistants like wimps; they know that Lyn's wrath was an unwelcome one if you're the target, though I doubt she'd hurt children. Well, as long as they're not here, I guess some serious discussion can happen. I'm curious as to why Snake and Meta Knight are here exactly; my ordeals had nothing to do with them, as far as I know, and they don't usually act unless it's their own problem. "So, um… not that I'm not grateful for you saving us last night, but… why are you here?" I ask.

Snake raised and eyebrow. "Lyn didn't tell you?" Was she supposed to? I shake my head to the negative. "Well… Master Hand came back."

I could feel my pupils shrink and my hands balling up into fists at the mention of Master Hand. "He came back to the manor…?" I say, trying not to sound too angry, but speaking through gritted teeth didn't hide my rage.

"Yep." Snake replied. "He returned shortly after you left. He put the whole manor under lockdown."

I groan in discontent. Master Hand does have a lockdown procedure for the manor, but he's never had to use it since no enemies ever come there. About the only rational reason there is for such a thing is to prevent people from _leaving_ the manor, and I have a good idea of why. "Let me guess: he didn't want anyone coming after me, did he?"

"Probably." Snake said. "He never openly told us why, but no one got to complain either. The entire building was swarmed with Alloys within minutes. I swear it had to be his entire army."

The entire force of the Fighting Alloys used for keeping the Smashers indoors? I know Master Hand never does anything small, but _this_? "But… that's against the organization's rules! The ones _he_ made!" This is infringing on one of the rules that he himself set: everyone is allowed to leave the manor at their own discretion. It was so Master Hand wouldn't forcefully separate anyone from their real homes outside of the manor… but now he's doing exactly that. And just over _me_!?

"That's why I decided to come after you myself." Snake continued. "I told you about San Miguel and the Solar Boy, so I figured that's where you'd go. I found Lyn when I was sneaking out; she insisted on going herself, so I came up with a backup plan with Meta Knight. We used the Halberd to get out of there by force."

Right, just like the Falcon Flyer, the Halberd has its own transportation system. "Master Hand is not acting like himself." Meta Knight finally speaks; his voice lower and gruffer than Snake's, though I don't know how that's possible since he's one-third of his size. Meta Knight is the same species as Kirby, only his skin is blue, his shoes are purple and metal and his eyes are usually yellow; they change colour depending on the emotion he feels. He always wears a mask, the same that the Halberd is decorated with, and has two blue shoulder-protectors and a long blue cape. The cape is decorated with a silver "M" that has a sword through the middle, and it can transform into a pair of bat wings so that he can fly. His sword, Galaxia, is golden on both the blade and hilt and has several upwards-curved spikes on it. He can swing his weapon so fast, it's rumored to go supersonic. He's one of the strongest Smashers in the organization. "So Snake and I decided to investigate. His actions are jeopardizing our organization as well as countless worlds. Ness and Paula grew tired of the lockdown and snuck out with us as well."

"But the old glove wasn't expecting us to get away." Snake said. "Now he's tipped his hand to the whole organization; _everyone_ knows he's willing to do anything to get rid of you, kid."

If I didn't understand that before, I certainly do now. "Why? This is all Shadow's fault, he should be going after _him_! Why is he doing this to _me_!?" I seethe, unable to stop myself from shaking. I'm not sure whether I'm scared or angry anymore.

"That's what we have to find out, and I'd bet he's the only one who knows." Snake replied. "I doubt Master Hand will risk leaving the Smashers unattended now that they know the truth… but we'd have to go through an entire army of Alloys, and there are just too many for us to fight alone."

Alloys may not sound like the strongest of opponents, especially since I destroyed three of them with relative ease, but Master Hand has a _lot_ of them; it's as though he spawns them out of thin air. Even with my PSI and my new vampire abilities, I don't know how long I'd last against a whole army. It's just… Snake, Meta Knight, Ness, Paula, Lyn and myself. That's only six people against hundreds or possibly even thousands. We wouldn't stand a chance. And after we have Master Hand cornered, too… "But… there has to be _something_ we can do! We can't just give up now!" I wail.

"I know that, but we're just a handful of people." Snake says, motioning with his hands for me to calm down. "We _need_ an army to _fight_ an army. Luckily, I think I may know where we can find one."

Suddenly, a speck of hope. "What, really!?" Then I remember that Snake is, in fact, the operative of an army. "Wait, that's right! You said you worked for FOXHOUND!"

"_Against_ FOXHOUND." Snake quickly corrects me, his eyebrow twitching.

"Wha… really?" Wow… I guess I hadn't read into Snake's history well enough. "Sorry…"

"_But_, you have the right idea." Snake says, trying to brush aside that awkward moment. "I'm sure I can call in a few favours from my group. Let's just say they aren't very fond of how Master Hand and Super Smash Brothers take the law into their own hands."

That last part scared me just a little bit… though I guess it makes sense that some would view us as vigilantes. We're lucky the long arm of the law hasn't interfered with us for this long, even if Master Hand had already smoothed things over with them. "I'm going to see if I can assemble some of my own forces, as well. It sounds like we'll need all the help we can get." Meta Knight said; if I recall correctly, he is the leader of a fighting force named after him.

"Well… it sounds like you guys have a plan." I compliment them. It's a good thing they have _some_ idea of what we're going to do, because I definitely don't.

"So, what are you going to do?" Snake asks.

"M-me?" I reply, and he nods. I don't think I really have any other choice… "I'll… I'll go with you. I doubt Shadow will let me sit still for long anyway, and I want to get some answers from Master Hand too."

"You're sure?" he asks, and I just nod my head in reply. "Alright then. Just be warned, though: I won't be babysitting you on the battlefield."

"Don't worry." I assure him. "You won't have to."

* * *

And so the arrangements were made; Snake's team was going to meet us outside of San Miguel, and Meta Knight had warped the Halberd back to his own world so that he could pick up his Meta Knights. The latter probably wouldn't take long, but Snake's men didn't have the ability to warp wherever they wanted; despite us being in their world, they had an estimated time of arrival set for two days from now. I guess San Miguel is pretty far away from their base of operations. So with at least a two-day wait ahead of me, I decided that now would be the best time to prepare and relax, things I haven't had the opportunity to do in a very long time. Meta Knight insisted that he wanted no "stowaways" on his way back to his world, so Snake and Lyn – who was just waking up at the time – had to be dropped off at the city with me.

I immediately knew what my first stop here would be: Django's house, where he was recuperating. Apparently I'm not the only one who hit a low from my adrenaline rush. His hunger and fatigue had quickly caught up with him just after I left him and Sabata alone, so they made haste to bring him back to his hometown where he could recover. Lyn was concerned about him too, but I couldn't for the life of me imagine why Snake was coming with us. Well, it did seem he knew his way around the city at least…

"So, um, Lyn." I say to her as we walk down the cobblestone streets of San Miguel.

"Yes?" She looks down at me.

"Uh… Snake told me about Master Hand." I inform her.

Her face takes on a sad expression. "Oh… I'm sorry… I should've told you before, Lucas, but I knew you had enough things to worry about already."

"Oh… that's okay." I tell her. It's probably a good thing she didn't mention it before, now that I think about it… I probably would've thrown a fit while we were going to rescue Django and Sabata, and that wouldn't have ended well. "If that's the reason…"

"But still… I didn't mean to keep it from you or anything…" Lyn apologized.

"Don't worry about it." I tell her, smiling up at her to assure her that I'm not angry. She takes a moment before returning the expression.

"We're here." Snake informs us, now that we've walked right in front of Django's house. It's pretty inconspicuous among the other buildings in the area, small and quaint with just one window in the front… I guess he prefers to live like a normal person whenever given the chance. Yet another thing he has that I could only imagine having…

Lyn was just about to knock on the door, when suddenly it opened on its own… or rather, someone had just opened it from the other side. It's Lady, and unfortunately, she was looking back into the house as she was leaving and bumped right into Lyn. Headfirst. I wince, swearing I could hear a hollow "clunk" sound. "Ow! Sh-shoot, I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized, before looking down at me. "Oh, Lucas! Your timing is perfect, Django wanted to speak with you and your friends."

"Eh?" My eyebrows raise. There was only one thing I could think of that Django would want to see me about… my vampirism. This made me both excited and anxious. "Well, it's rude to keep him waiting then. May we come in?"

"Of course." Lady replied, moving out of the way to let us pass. I inspect the home of the Solar Boy to find that it's rather quaint and simple; a kitchen and dining room directly to the left as I walk in, a big storage closet to the right, and the bedroom – though the "room" aspect is questionable – is atop a small set of stairs and is separated from the storage area by a railing. "Have a nice day. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again." Lady says, snapping me out of my thoughts as she closes the door behind her.

Snake blinks. "Why does she remind me of Mei Ling?" he mutters just loud enough for Lyn and I to hear. If memory serves, Mei Ling was one of the people Snake works with in his group, and is apparently very fond of Chinese proverbs.

But enough about that, I make my way up the stairs to meet with the house's tenant… err, tenants. Django is sitting on his bed finishing up a meal, but Lita is also here, seated beside the bed using one of the dining room chairs. The latter greets us with a warm smile. I return it, then look back at the Solar Boy. He looks a lot better than he did when we first met at the cathedral, that's for sure: his clothing has been replaced and is no longer all torn up, and his skin isn't so pale. "How're you feeling?" I ask him.

Django returns a wry smirk after swallowing the last of his breakfast, which I think was chocolate-chip pancakes. At least that's what it looked like before he scooped what was left of it off of his plate. "Much better, now that I have something in my stomach." He replies with a chuckle. "And you?"

The only reply I can think of that isn't depressing is, "Still living." Django laughs a little louder. With the ice broken, I decide to get straight to the point. "Lady said you wanted to see us?"

Django clears his throat. "Yes. Master Otenko and I discussed what we were going to do about your vampirism."

Just as I thought, we're going to discuss what to do with me. "Otenko is awake?" Lyn said, slightly surprised. Not that she mentions it, the Solar Messenger wasn't in such great shape when I last saw him.

"Master Otenko is a spirit, he won't go away very easily." Django assured her. "Not that I haven't had to save him a couple of times… right now he's above San Miguel, absorbing sunlight so he can recover. It'd go much faster if I could help, but…"

"Master Django overtaxed himself." Lita finished for him. "He needs the power of the Sun to fight, and after being out of it for so long, he pushed himself to hard. He's still very weak now…" She turns to him. "I'm surprised you could fight at all…"

"Heheh… it's just another day on the job for me, really." Django replied sheepishly. Now that I think about it, the Solar Boy had been fighting without sunlight… the energy I saw him using against Eggman Nega must've been the very limit of what he had left. He really fights hard to protect his home… "Anyway, we talked about putting you through the Piledriver to purify you…"

Suddenly, Django is silent. This immediately leads me to believe that the news is not good. "And…?" I hesitantly ask.

Much to my dismay, Django shakes his head. "I'm sorry Lucas, but we don't think it's going to work…"

I can feel my heart sink when he says that… "Wh… why not!?" I can't stop myself from wailing.

"Calm down and let me explain!" Django says, waving his hands in front of him, trying not to get me flustered. "The Piledriver works by burning Dark Matter, the energy source of a vampire. This usually gets transferred by the bite and starts to corrupt the body, but… Master Otenko and I can't feel any Dark Matter within you."

"No… Dark Matter…?"

"And believe me, _I'm_ half-vampire, I'd be able to tell better than anyone." Django continues. "You weren't bitten by a vampire Lucas, you were bitten by an Eternal, and that's never happened before. And for whatever reason, Dark Matter wasn't transferred from Shadow to you. With no Dark Matter to burn, the Piledriver wouldn't purify you… in fact, it would probably _kill_ you."

_Kill… me…_? When I hear those words, the last of my hopes of being rid of this curse are shattered right before my eyes. Is the only way to stop this madness… really to just… _end my life_? I sink to my knees and lower my head with a disheartened sob. I can feel Lyn's hand clasp my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me, but it does little…

"Master Otenko and I argued back and forth for hours trying to find a way to help you, but we've just never dealt with this before…" Django says, regret evident in his voice. "Even after you saved our lives, there's nothing we can do to help you… I am so sorry, Lucas…"

It defies belief. Everyone, even people I've only just met, are trying to help me… and _still_ it's all in vain! My fist smacks the floor in frustration as tears begin to streak down my face. "Lucas…" Lyn says sadly, bringing me into a hug from behind and wiping tears from my cheek.

"I don't understand this." Snake interrupts my fit. "If this 'Piledriver' can't lift this curse from Lucas, then why would Shadow try so hard to prevent us from using it?"

"Maybe he didn't know?" Lita suggested.

"He knew…" I seethe. "Somehow, he _always_ knows."

"I'll bet this was just another trick to aggravate Lucas." Lyn theorized. "It's like he always knows what we're going to do and where we're going to go. He predicts all of our moves almost flawlessly."

Snake growled in anger. "How do we fight someone like that?"

"I feel like I've heard this before…" Django interjects. "This 'Shadow' sounds a lot like an Immortal I faced named Ratatosk. He manipulated everyone into doing what he wanted, even me and my brother…" I feel a sudden wave of malice from the Solar Boy. "He even tricked me into purifying Sabata…"

"That's terrible…" Lyn said, clearly disgusted.

"He was a puppeteer in every sense of the word…" Django finished. He then looked at us. "It's just a thought, but maybe Shadow is just tricking you into doing his dirty work?"

"He'd have to be a complete and utter genius to have strung Lucas along this far. The kid's not stupid." Snake said, putting his hand to his chin and looking down at me. "He would've even had to know the different worlds he would have gone to, which is an infinite amount of possibilities. It's just not done… but, it's not impossible…"

Planning out my every move… could such a thing really be done? "Just _what_ are we up against?" I wonder aloud.

"Lucas…" Django says to get my attention. "If your enemy is a strong as you say… then it might be a good thing you're half-vampire now."

I look at him as if he were absolutely mad. "_What_!?" I shriek. "On what demented planet is being a blood-sucking bat-freak a _good_ thing!?"

"Uhh… I'm inclined to agree with him, Django." Lyn admits, making remember the bite on her arm.

"Have you already forgotten what he did with that power last night?" Django counters. "He punched out a slab of steel that was a few inches thick, tore apart at least twenty robots, and knocked the doctor's squid-machine right out of the cathedral." As a matter of fact, I _had_ forgotten about that… only the memory of what I had done to Lyn was retained. "Take it from someone who knows: being a half-vampire definitely isn't fun, but… if you learned to control your darker side, you could use it to your advantage."

Quickly I begin to see Django's points. During that battle in the cathedral as my vampiric self, I was experiencing strength, speed and stamina that any of my PSI enhancements couldn't possibly compare to. Indeed, it was a formidable force… but until just now I only thought about being rid of it, not about what I might _do_ with it. Turning the very power Shadow imbued me with _against_ him was an enticing thought to be sure. And considering that soon I might have to fight against Master Hand and his whole army of Fighting Alloys…

"Make no mistake, I'll still try to find a way to get you back to normal, Lucas." Django says, snapping me out of my thoughts. "But the way things are now, your newfound power could be a big help."

Finally I remove myself from Lyn's hug – reluctantly, I find – and get back to my feet. "Yes… I understand." I say, regaining my determination. "I'm stuck with this power every night anyway… there's really no reason not to use it." I regain my smile and say, "Thank you, Django."

He smiles broadly. "No problem."

"So…" Django begins. "With this little mess cleaned up, what will you do now?"

Snake answers, "Well, we have no idea where Shadow is presently, so our only option is to bring the fight to Master Hand."

Django raises an eyebrow. "Okay, you guys really need to tell me about this 'Master Hand' and your organization."

* * *

The next little while was spent explaining to Django about the Super Smash Brothers organization and why we're suddenly rebelling against our boss. He desperately wanted to help me with my peril, but Lita immediately disapproved, saying that he was still weak right now. As much as I want all the help I can get, I had to agree with her; Django is this world's guardian, and if something happened to him, San Miguel would be in big trouble. But still adamant about doing _something_ to help, he decided to ask Sabata for his aid in the matter; apparently the Dark Boy will instead be joining us.

Snake's group – which I now know is called "Philanthropy" and is actually a non-government organization – has also agreed to lend their aid, and Meta Knight returned at dusk with a Halberd full of his own armored warriors. Now that we knew what forces we had to work with, we started to form battle plans. Or rather, Snake, Meta Knight and Lyn did; seeing them get to work made me realize how little about real warfare I actually knew. Most of the battles I've fought in my life were just "the enemy was in my way" situations, never was I actually up against the whole of an army, just tiny bits at a time. But it looked like what was going to happen this time was a real, full-blown war. This is something totally new to me… I'm suddenly really glad to have these hardened war veterans on my side.

Nighttime has arrived. With all of the preparations completed, there was only one thing to do; practice my skills to make sure I'm ready for what's to come. Philanthropy will be arriving at night, around twenty-four hours from now, so I'll be doing this battle as a vampire. One night… that's all the time I have to hone my skills, and then I'll be going up against Master Hand and his whole army of Fighting Alloys. It's a thought that is both positively thrilling and utterly terrifying.

"Are you ready?" says Lyn across from me as we stand in some of the ruined streets of San Miguel, her hand on the hilt of her sword. She had graciously agreed to help me train. A cursory glance to a rooftop shows Snake, Meta Knight, Sabata, Ness and Paula up there, eager to watch. "We've just got one night to do this, so we have to make it count. I won't go easy on you."

I look down at my vampire claws for a moment, pondering whether or not I should really be doing this… I'm afraid I'll hurt her again… but I quickly shake the thought away; this is Lyn I'm thinking about here. Hell would freeze over before she took a mortal wound in close-quarters combat. And that's considering I can even _hit_ her with abilities that I haven't yet mastered… that's why we're doing this, so I _can_ master them as much as possible. I close my fists and get into a battle-ready position. "Ready when you are!" I challenge her, psyching myself up.

And so we fought, long and hard, into the night. Tomorrow, we would be going to war… I hope I'm ready.

* * *

**A/N: Things are about to get intense… there will be havoc next chapter.**


	24. Chapter 22: To War

**A/N:** Oh my God, how long has it been since I updated this story? I keep getting too into things both real-life and recreational… maybe I should stop saying I'm going to update at specific times.

But does that mean I'll stop writing altogether? Heck no. In fact, I _think_ this might be my longest chapter so far. I've even made some slight changes to the previous chapters to make them more readable. Some of these are slight storyline changes, so for those who read the previous version, here's a list:

-several grammatical changes and extra lines added/lines taken away to make it more understandable

-Lyn is given a small mention in the prologue, so she doesn't just randomly jump into the story

-in Chapter 14, Shadow once told Lucas that he was bound by the oath; I decided this wasn't going to work, so now Shadow just flat-out refuses to tell him anything about it

-"Vampire" is now only a term to better describe Lucas' appearance, he personally thinks of it just as a monster

"But wait!" I hear someone in the back say. "If you updated the chapters, why aren't they posted yet?"

Indeed, I haven't yet replaced the old story content… the reason? _The updates to the site's grammar scripts_, to the point where it completely destroys anything I use for style or neatness. Early, _early_ readers might remember that I used groups of lines to mark off chapter sections, and used page break lines to mark the starts and ends. Now I can't use those groups of lines. In fact, it looks like I can't even put exclamation marks beside question marks anymore… really, who thought this formatting was a good idea? So if my writing seems butchered or nonsensical in various places, that's likely the cause and I apologize.

Sadly there's not a whole lot I can do about it, and I really don't feel like nor do I currently have the time to root through all twenty-two chapters, the prologue and the intermezzo for my personalized page breaks and those exclamation marks beside question marks – and considering Lucas' character, there are _a lot_ of them – and change every single one. So until I figure out a way to make it work and be readable/understandable, you'll have to use the change log up there as a guideline.

But all of this crap aside, it's finally time for Chapter 22! I promised that this chapter would contain havoc and destruction, and I hope I don't disappoint. Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 22: To War_

_"You're really desperate now, aren't you?"_

It sneers at me again from behind the mirror. My vampiric self, in this dreamscape. Each time I come here, his side of the reflection is in worse condition. The pool of blood he stands in is knee-deep now, and every inch of the flaming interior of the house is smeared with it. And the mirror itself… cracked at the top. They say dreams are symbolic… I wonder what the degrading condition of my house on the other side of the mirror symbolizes.

"Leave me alone…" I say with a tone of annoyance, turning away from the mirror and pacing around the house.

_"I thought you decided a day ago that you weren't going to return to the Smash Manor until you got rid of me?"_

I look back at my sadistic double. "As tempting as that sounds, I don't know what you mean."

_"Oh, c'mon. It's not that hard to figure out."_ it says. _"You don't_ really _think this'll all end if you undo Shadow's handiwork, do you? You're_ still _gonna be a stark-raving lunatic with a taste for blood, and you're_ still _gonna want to rip everyone's heads off…_ _deep down, you're still gonna be a killer at heart…"_ It claps it's hands together, mock-blushing. _"You've been denying that all this time, but now you're finally accepting it? I'm touched, I really am…"_

"You're deluded." I snort, resuming my pacing around the house. "Once Shadow and Master Hand go down and this madness ends, I'm getting this curse lifted…"

Now it was mock-pouting, and then it chuckled. _"You say that_ now… _but you might change your mind after you get used to it… you might even learn to _like_ it…"_

For the first time I can recall, I smile at the apparition. "_Now_ who's dreaming?"

It cocks an eyebrow at me, grinning widely. _"You'll see… soon, you'll see…"_ Pure malice, a wave of raw hatred assaults my mind from the other side of the mirror. Its eyes glow as red as the sun. _"It's both in your mind and in your nature… you're going to crave destruction soon enough…"_

0000000000

"…ake up, Lucas… it's time."

Lyn's voice reverberating in my ears was a welcome change from my more twisted self's from within my nightmares. I open my eyes, feeling well-rested, but with a foreign feeling of stiffness that stretched from the left side of my back to… my left wing. That's right, I'd decided to get some rest in the daytime so that I'd be ready for when the night came, knowing what we had to do… I slowly sat up and brought the pained wing to my front so I could inspect the damage… it looked a little flat, but was regaining its original shape in a hurry. I must've transformed when I was sleeping, just as planned so I would feel as little pain as possible, but I probably rolled onto my back at the same time. I'm glad I wasn't conscious for that, my wing being simultaneously pushed out of and pushed into my back made me grit my teeth just thinking about it. I did a full-body stretch and greeted Lyn with a, "Good evening…" before letting my arms fall onto my lap.

"How do you feel?" she asks me. "Tired? Thirsty?"

"Thirsty." I immediately reply. "Not that that's unusual…" Of course, vampires are always thirsty for blood. If anything is out of the ordinary this evening, it's that my only discomfort from waking up is a stiff wing. I'm still not used to getting a good night's sleep anymore… since the Halberd was now filled with Meta Knight's legion of warriors, Django and Lita had kindly offered us some temporary lodging; me in his house, Lyn in her house, and Snake… I honestly don't know where he slept during our stay in San Miguel, but chances are he's fine. I won't question it.

"I thought as much, so I got this from Lita for you." Lyn said, motioning to a bottle of tomato juice. Of Lita's making, I imagine, and I waste no time snatching it and taking a gulp. "I still don't know how you can drink that… I mean it's sun-grown, isn't it?"

Yesterday, before we'd went to bed, I asked Django to show me the ropes of living as a vampire. One such thing was to avoid water, as it burns a vampire's skin when so much as touched. That explains why I can't cry in this form. Another was, obviously, to avoid sunlight as much as possible. Third was to avoid eating anything grown with sunlight as a defining factor, like fruits and some vegetables… I finally figured out that this was why Peach's orange juice burned my throat way back. Tomatoes are sun-grown too, so both Lyn and I wondered why this didn't do the exact opposite of quenching my thirst. "Beats me… Lita still won't give me the recipe."

After sharing a laugh at her expense, Lyn finally asks me, "So, are you sure you want to do this?"

Taking another swig of tomato juice, I crawl out of the sleeping bag I was in and stand. "Yeah, I'm sure. I want to hear the truth from Master Hand with my own ears." My reply has no hesitation and no apprehension. Master Hand, Mewtwo, Shadow… they've all put me through so much pain, and because of this "oath" they keep mentioning, they refuse to give me the slightest glimpse into why. I won't have any more of it. I'll beat the truth out of my former boss if I have to.

0000000000

Philanthropy's forces had arrived, right on time.

Lyn and I had set off for the outskirts of San Miguel in the direction of the Halberd just in time to see the loud, but controlled chaos that was occurring. The silhouettes of war machines cast menacing shadows in the night, large tanks blocking the view of the horizon and helicopters lining the skies. All of them were converging on the Halberd's location. "Whoa…" is all I can say.

"I knew we'd be getting a lot of men, but… this isn't what I was expecting." Lyn said, equally surprised.

"Lucas! Lyn!" I turn to my left and see Ness and Paula running towards us, I can immediately tell it's them in spite of the night due to their respective hat and ribbon. "Glad you guys made it! Looks like we're nearly ready to do this!"

I nod to him, looking back at the large amount of soldiers and other militia piling into the Halberd. "This is incredible…" I say.

"Yeah, these guys don't mess around, do they?" Ness replies.

"To really go to war like this… it hasn't really dawned on me yet." Paula comments. "I still wonder if this is all really necessary…"

Ness looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you _kidding_? Did you already forget how hard it was to get away from there?" he asked incredulously. "Alloys with swords and death rays at every turn, prancing around like the own the place... if we didn't run into Meta Knight on our way out..." There is a brief pause in his rant. Hesitation? "I don't even want to think about what might've happened. I'd just as well not even go back, but I don't want to leave everyone behind..."

I can fully understand both Ness' and Paula's positions on this. If my friends are in danger, then I will go to any length to keep them safe. And I can't just throw those words around anymore, after having gotten other's blood on my hands. But then I look out at all of these machines of war and death, either piling into the Halberd's cargo bays or getting airlifted by other machines of war and death, and still I can't fully grasp the scale of what's about to happen. The Smash Manor, once a safe haven for all the members of the Super Smash Brothers organization, was going to become a battlefield, with former Smashers in the attacking force. I wonder if I'm ready for it...

No, whether I'm ready or not is irrelevant. I _must_ do this. If I don't, all of the mysteries about Shadow and the oath will go unsolved, and many worlds may fall into chaos without the protection of our organization. And more important than that are the lives of the Smashers trapped in the mansion by Master Hand's Alloys; who knows what became of them after some of us escaped. At the very least I have to do this for them... especially since in a way, it's partially my fault they're in this mess to begin with.

"No one will be left behind." I say finally to try and ease their worries. "Not if I have anything to say about it. We're saving the Smashers, and we're getting the truth from Master Hand, even if I have to beat it out of him." I say to pep everyone up, including myself. Even if I have to kill him to get it out of him... I'm tempted to just banish the thought, but... Master Hand is intent on killing _me_. He's a being that _tries_ to show compassion for others, but his recent actions have taught me that he'll do anything to eliminate a problem if he must. I can't silence the nagging voice in the back of my head that wants revenge on him for trying to kill me, to savour the moment when I stand over his beaten remains... especially in this situation, I'm finding it harder and harder not to enjoy the thought of sweet vengeance. But whether I like it or not, I have to be just as relentless as Master Hand if I'm to survive this ordeal. I have to do whatever it takes.

"You're right." Lyn replies. "One way or another, everything is going to be revealed tonight, and we're going to make sure everyone is around for it." She says, also trying her hand at some pep-talk. Clearly she's better at it than me… "No more hesitation. Let's go."

We march down from our incline and towards the Halberd. As we get closer, it's as if Philanthropy was steadily doubling in size, especially their vehicles... the only tanks I've ever seen before were the ones used by the Pigmask Army back home. These tanks had to be at least twice as big, and I could only imagine that they were twice as hard to operate, and likely had twice the firepower. And their helicopters and other flying machines were even bigger than those tanks. It's a very sobering thought to know that I'm on the same side as these people... we might be able to pull this off after all, but it's disturbingly obvious that this situation won't have a peaceful end...

At the edge of the mass of vehicles and soldiers gearing up for battle, Sabata stands, looking at us with his piercing red eyes. He must've been waiting for us. "You're late, guys. They're just about to move out." he explains.

Whoops, I suppose that's my fault... even as a creature of the night, I'm still a heavy sleeper. "Well, don't keep us waiting then, where do we go?" Ness asks.

"That Meta Knight guy made room for you in the Halberd's common area." he tells us. His mouth then curves into a smirk. "And Ness, Snake told me to tell you not to get in anyone's way on the ship."

The singled-out psychic groaned and replied, "Yeah, yeah..." I can't hold back a chuckle, and neither can Lyn and Paula. Ness was a curious and impulsive boy; he simply wouldn't keep his hands off of other people's things unless specifically made not to. I can sort of understand Snake's scepticism with all of this heavy weaponry present.

"Now c'mon, before we get left behind." Sabata urges, motioning for us to follow him to the Halberd. Well... this is it. Once Meta Knight's pride and joy lifts off, there will be no going back. But I've already decided what I'm going to do, and so has everyone else... still, as I walk up that entrance ramp, I can hear my tainted heart pounding in my chest. I know I have to do this, if not for myself, then for my dear friends and comrades... so I wonder why I still have this apprehension. Is it because I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to save them? Or am I afraid of Master Hand? Or... maybe I'm afraid of finding out the truth... yeah, it must be that. There's just no good reason for someone to want you dead, thus I'm not entirely sure I _really_ want to know what Master Hand's reasons are... but I won't be able to get to the bottom of this mystery if I don't.

0000000000

Snake was waiting for us in the common area of the Halberd, briefing us on what exactly we would be doing in this raid of our own headquarters while we travelled between dimensions. Being the master of infiltration that he is, he apparently found out quite a bit of things about the Smash Manor behind our backs – or mainly behind Master Hand's – that Philanthropy might've needed to know if they were ever going to do something like this. I can't openly say I disagree with his methods though, being in the attacking party. According to him, there is a small underground complex below the Smash Manor that only Master Hand and those he most trusts – like Mewtwo and Crazy Hand, his brother – know about. It's from there that he manufactures his army of Alloys, the weapons and items that we use in our missions and in the exhibition matches, and so on.

The objectives are as follows: first, while the army composed of Meta Knights and Philanthropy's forces outside keeps the Alloys preoccupied, we break into the manor and rescue our fellow Smashers. Second, we navigate our way to the underground complex to disable whatever is mass-producing the Alloys. Lastly, we find and apprehend Master Hand. Snake makes it sound so easy... but my gut instinct tells me that this will be anything but.

A tense half-hour later, the shimmering blue lights that denote travelling between worlds are replaced with a starless night sky with a full moon high above us. We have arrived.

It's barely even a half-second later that the sounds explosions emanate from outside of the Halberd. A quick look out the window shows the Smash Manor, surrounded by a shifting sea of reds, greens, blues and yellows, releasing torrents of bright greens and yellows and oranges at us. My God... are _all_ of those Alloys? And they're all armed by the looks of it. Master Hand definitely didn't want anyone getting in or out of here.

Even though I'm a passenger in it, now I see why it was a good idea to let the Halberd enter this world first. This barrage likely would've done severe damage to Philanthropy's army, but the Halberd was built specifically to withstand this kind of punishment. Meta Knight is quick to answer this massive yet lacklustre attack with one of his own: a spray of golden laser blasts. I can only see the left side of the army from here, but I'm sure the right cannons are firing too. I can't see the impacts either, but they've clearly had an effect; the proverbial ocean of multicoloured metals disperses like a swarm of angry bees to avoid the laser fire. This was a part of the plan; Philanthropy would enter this world while they were scattered and begin their attack. And they waste no time; in just a minute I see jets whizzing by us, slowly followed by helicopters, some carrying tanks.

"Wow! This is intense!" Ness cheers in approval from beside me.

"You're not kidding... I've never seen a battle this wide-scale." Sabata says. An excited grin appears on his face. "Meta Knight had better hurry, or we'll miss our chance to join in." He's right, we have to get ready to do our part. The Halberd had a cargo bay full of tanks and soldiers ready to do battle, but first we had to get to the manor. So that we would waste as little time as possible, Meta Knight would fly beside the manor and we would jump out the window and onto the roof. From there we'd find a skylight and use that as an entry point.

Well, we were able to get beside the Manor without much trouble, but... Snake was having trouble opening the window. Try as he might, he just couldn't crank the lever to open it. "Umm... Mister Snake?" I address him. "The windows won't open while the Halberd is flying."

The reason for this was obvious; so people wouldn't get sucked out the windows while the Halberd was flying at full speed. It was a safety precaution. Frustrated and not wanting to waste time before Meta Knight pulled away, Snake resorted to a more violent method; he pulled out his pistol and shot the window out. I covered my ears in panic. "There! One open window." He said triumphantly before leaping out the destroyed window and rolling down onto the roof. Well... his method was crude and _loud_, but it worked. Sabata followed him with a low chuckle.

"Well, that's _one_ way to channel your anger..." Paula said in a dull tone, her palm on her forehead.

"It worked, didn't it?" Ness defended. "Now, shall we?"

Paula nodded and jumped, though not out the window... but into Ness' arms. Then _he_ jumped out the window while holding her bridal style, and used his PSI to ensure a safe landing on his feet. We had to discuss the safest and fastest way for everyone to get down onto the roof without injuring themselves. Snake and Sabata – who jumped just now – had no problem with high distances, agile enough to roll and ready their weapons upon landing, but Paula didn't use PSI like Ness and I do; she can throw the elemental PSI attacks with terrifying efficiency, but she can't focus her power through her body very well. So after some deliberation and some arguing between Ness and Paula, he decided to carry her down.

Now it's my turn. Lyn looks down at me and asks, "Ready?"

There's no turning back now. I nod and reply, "Let's go."

I jump first, spreading my vampire wings so that I can hover down to the roof safely. Lyn jumps afterward, right towards me; I catch her, also in bridal style, quickly setting her down onto her feet. "Nice catch." She says. It wasn't a moment too soon, as the Halberd flies back off to the Philanthropy forces so it can drop off the ones in its cargo bay. Meta Knight would make sure there were as few casualties as possible, so I didn't have to worry about that anymore. Now it was time to get inside this manor and do our job.

Fortunately for us, we were on a section of the roof where a skylight was very close by. Unfortunately, the Alloys were onto us immediately. Three of every colour. The Red Alloys are the same as before when I destroyed them back home. The Yellow Alloys are similar, but smaller versions of the red ones, only with a pair of small horns on their heads. The Blue Alloys are more slender versions of the Red Alloys, with a string of their armor plating attached to the back of their heads to simulate a long-haired ponytail. The Green Alloys are the oddballs of the robots, literally; their build is almost exactly like Kirby's, their core energy ball instead inside of its oversized head. That head has a Mohawk-styled bulge at the top.

Each of the twelve alloys rushing at us are armed, either with green laser-shooting Ray Gun pistols or chargeable, yellow blast-firing Super Scope machine guns. How I wish I could use my PSI in this form and stop these attacks with PK Magnet... luckily, it's an ability Ness also has. Throwing himself forward and surrounding himself with the blue bubble, he acts as a living shield between us and the lasers. Now, this is why I prefer to hold my PK Magnet in front of me: it contains the attack so it can be absorbed or redirected at my discretion. The way Ness uses it, it replenishes his energy, but he can't turn it back at the enemy right away. Regardless, Snake and Sabata are fast to retaliate with their own guns, bullets and balls of darkness destroying or stunning them long enough for Paula to focus a blast of PK Fire to dispatch those that survived. For a moment I'm reminded of the flame that I once engulfed Master Hand in... that's when I was temporarily insane. Paula matched that power with a relatively _calm_ mind just now. I remind myself yet again never to make her angry.

With this temporary disturbance dealt with, Lyn rushes forward, sword drawn. The frame of the skylight we need to enter through is in the form of a raised octagon; troublesome to shoot through due to its shape, but the Mani Katti cuts through it like butter from one side to the other. The decapitated window falls down inside the manor, and she jumps down inside. I'm the first to follow her in, quickly seeing that a Blue and Green Alloy have already been bisected by Lyn's blade. Two more Yellow ones rush in from the other side of us, which I decide to take care of; I ram my claw into the chest orb of one... finding that it goes straight through. Unlike the last time when I did this with a Red Alloy in my human form, the pain is negligible. I throw the slumping, now-useless robot at the other active alloy and send them both crashing into the far wall. They fall to pieces upon impact.

Out of danger for the moment, I analyze the area; we're in the third floor common room of the manor. If I remember correctly, the likes of Bowser, Ganondorf, Wolf and Wario sometimes liked to meet here around this time of night. Whatever they did and discussed in here was unknown to all, only vague rumors being thrown around. Some say they plan their latest schemes here, being some of the tyrants and villains of the manor. Some say they ultimately plan to overthrow Master Hand. Some say they gamble. All valid theories in my mind, but there's no way to prove them. The point is: they aren't here now. Usually the lights would be on and their laughter would be filling the third floor halls, but this time the room was dark and deathly silent, devoid of life until Lyn and I barged in from above. I'm not used to the manor being so... gloomy.

Ness, holding Paula her bridal style again, is the next to join us down here, quickly followed by Snake and Sabata. The Dark Boy takes in the scene. "So this is what you guys call home... fancy." He says in observation. Indeed, every room in the manor is pretty much fashioned like a palace. It's been my sanctuary for the past six months... yet now I'm aiding in the raiding of it.

"Right now it's less of a home and more of a prison for our comrades. And right now they need our help." Snake reminds us all. "We discussed our plan on the way here. You should know what to do."

That plan went as follows: we need to clear out all of the Alloys on the second and third floors first, because that's where the bedrooms are. Another hidden gimmick of this manor that Snake revealed to us is that all of the bedrooms have the ability to lock and fortify themselves; these fortifications are meant specifically to counter the abilities of the owner of that bedroom, turning their living space into a prison cell. I suppose this is why the Smashers didn't try to liberate themselves and fight back, otherwise things here wouldn't be so bad right now. So it's up to us.

It was decided on the way to this world that the fastest way to free everyone was to split up and rush through the bedroom floors. Everyone would run down the third floor hallway until we reached the central staircase, from which point Snake and Sabata, and Ness and Paula would go down and work on either direction of the second floor while Lyn and I continue down the third. Things will be much easier when we get everyone free and helping us.

Snake runs over to the entrance doors and, instead of opening them, places something at them. A bomb. I've seen him use it in exhibition matches, it's a remotely-detonated mine. "Get back, and be ready to charge in." he tells us as he runs back to us. I step back to what I believe is a safe distance away from the coming explosion.

_Click_.

The sound of Snake's remote detonator, followed by the remote mine exploding in a small but forceful burst of flame that I can feel through the floor. The doors are blown into splinters and off of their hinges. Sabata is the first to act; before anyone can even see what enemies are out there, the missile-like attachment on his underside of his gun barrel launches off. The first enemy that tries to come through the destroyed door, a Blue Alloy, takes it right on the chest. The missile explodes, but the flames that expand from it are of a different nature; they are a bright-purple hue, and they not only linger, but they begin to quickly spread down the hallway. Within a moment, a good amount of the hall has been engulfed in violet fire. As for the unlucky Blue Alloy, it was destroyed immediately, while four others in the hallway were trying to avoid the expanding flames. Their distraction costs them dearly when Ness, Lyn and I charge through the doorway and smash and slash them into oblivion. I expect to get burned by the flames, but… they don't hurt all that much. In fact, they don't even feel hot. Sabata told me that darkness versus darkness isn't effective, so that's probably why...

The fires begin to die down. There are another five alloys at the other side of the stairwell a few feet ahead of us, armed with Beam Swords and… Home Run Bats. These I am _not_ pleased to see. Beam Swords are electronic blade hilts with a beam of light sticking out of them, which extends depending on how hard they are swung, but really their cutting ability is no different from a normal sword. Home Run Bats are entirely different beasts. They are special, golden baseball bats; squeezing on their handle for a moment charges them up with energy, and whatever they hit in their next swing is utterly decimated. In exhibition matches, this usually means a very painful one-hit knockout to those who are two slow or just don' t see it coming in time to block or evade it.

Luckily for us, Snake and Sabata even the playing field a bit as we charge towards the stairwell, while the Alloys rush at us from the other side. Gunshots ring out through the hallway; two Alloys lose and arm and another loses a leg. "Think you can handle those?" Sabata asks us as they near the way down.

"No problem!" I reply, both Lyn and I flipping over the stairwell to ambush the enemies before they can get out our friends going downstairs. With one swipe of her sword Lyn cuts through two of the Alloys, while I ram my boot into the core-orb of a green one, sending it back like a soccer ball before it drops dead. A Yellow Alloy tries to hit me with a Beam Sword, but I sidestep it quickly and punch its head right off. A loud _clang_ notifies me that Lyn is fighting the last one, but I can feel the force of the impact through the air. I whirl around to see that a Red Alloy, the one that lost its leg, is barely standing and has brought a fully-charged bat swing down on her Mani Katti before finally falling down. While her katana didn't break, it made Lyn stumble backward violently from the recoil. I don't allow the robot a follow-up move, crushing its head into the floor with my boot. "Are you alright, Lyn?" I ask, extending my hand to her.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy…" she says, taking my hand so I can pull her up. "I'm suddenly glad I'm not a real Smasher, that swing was so intense that I nearly dropped my sword."

Right, I work with her so much that I sometimes forget that she's an Assistant, not an actual Smasher. This is probably the first time Lyn has had any experience with the weapons we use. "You know, if you _had_ dropped it, you wouldn't have fell down."

"And then what would I retaliate with? I don't have your strength, I can't punch or kick solid steel." Lyn counters. That's right, while skilled and strong with the Mani Katti, she is still human. Directly attacking one of these Alloys would do more damage to her than them. "Anyway, we can't waste time, let's get to freeing our comrades."

"Yes, right." I agree. Finally taking a look at the entrance doors to the rooms, I can see that the wood has been replaced with metal. Well, this isn't much different than when I had to knock down the door at the cathedral… but I'd better warn them before barging in. "Everyone! Everyone who's locked in their rooms, we're breaking the doors down! Get back, now!" I shout. Hopefully they can hear me. I approach the closest door… Snake said that these defensive measures were built to withstand the powers of the room's owner. Hopefully the owner of this room isn't super-strong, or my fist probably won't do much… hoping luck is on my side, I bring my fist back, and bring it forward with a yell. The steel not only caves in, but it is pushed right off of its hinges and falls down backward with a loud _bang_.

"Sweet Nayru!" It was Link's voice. I peek into the room to see him standing in a corner, fully armed with his sword and assortment of tools. "I felt that from here!" He then notices me. "Wait… Lucas, is that you?"

"Hello, Mister Link!" I greet him. "C'mon, we have to free the others! We're taking this manor back!"

"So _that's_ what all that noise was! Awesome, count me in!" he says exuberantly, drawing his sword and running out into the hallway.

Coming back out myself, I see that Lyn has carefully sliced through another metal barricade, and out stomps one of the strongest Smashers. It's a giant, horned, heavily-muscled turtle with an orange body and a green shell studded with spikes. He has fiery-red hair and menacing red eyes, and a spike-studded black wristband on either arm, each having a big claw at the end. His name is Bowser, usually an antagonist to Mario and Princess Peach, but sometimes they've been known to get along. He's most known for his ability to breathe fire like a dragon. "A jail-break! It's about time!" he says in a low, gruff voice.

Systematically it continues like this, these rescued Smashers using their abilities and strengths to bring down the metal doors that had changed our bedrooms into personal prison cells, and then those freed Smashers showed the same courtesy. We were able to see that the doors were indeed made to resist the power of the room's occupant; whenever struck with what they were strong against, like Bowser's fist or Zelda's fire magic, some kind of orange barrier would appear around the door and stop the attack cold. Whenever hit by something else however, they were destroyed easily. It begs the question how Lyn, Meta Knight and everyone else were able to escape... I surmise that they weren't in their rooms at the time of the lockdown.

While all of this was happening, Lyn and myself peeked downstairs to see that things were going well on the second floor as well, gangs of Smashers and Assistants already let loose and wreaking havoc on any Alloys that dared to go up the stairwell. Braver people, like Bowser for example, moved down to the first floor and went about clearing out the remaining enemies. Surely we'd have no problem rooting out the enemies inside the manor, as the brunt of Master Hand's forces were _outside_, preoccupied by the Meta Knights and Philanthropy. Looking out the window, the sea of metallic colours was greatly diminished from what it was when we first arrived, and war machines littered the skies and fields. Everything was going according to plan so far.

With the first phase of the plan complete, I go onto the next: find the entrance to the "underground complex" and wreck the machines that are creating the Alloys. We may have the upper hand now, but until those machines are stopped the enemy numbers will have no end. Some Smashers and Assistants decide to stay on the second and third floors in case of any surprises, while the rest of us go downstairs to where Snake is, to the first for common room. It's much like the second and third floor common rooms, but unlike before this is a big difference in the centre of the room: a huge, metal cylindrical elevator with black mesh-style fences that serve as its walls. It's so wide that it takes up roughly two-thirds of the room's space, and so tall that it reaches all the way up to the ceiling.

"Whoa... how did Master Hand hide _this_ in the floor?" I ask.

Snake turned to face me. "The top of it is carpeted just like the floor was. People were probably walking on this every day and didn't know it was here." he explains. "It can fit at least twenty Alloys inside of it at once... and I'll bet there are a lot than that waiting to get in at the bottom."

"We can't possibly get through that many... how are we going to get down there?" Lyn asks.

"Leave that to me." says a new voice, female and mechanical, from beside Snake. A woman clad in bulky orange armor from head to toe, except for the right arm which instead had a large, silver cannon from the elbow and outward. Behind her glowing green visor I can see her human eyes. This is Samus Aran... I once made a joke about her on Magica, which I can only hope Ness or Toon did not tell her about. Some people thought she was male at first glance, at least until she spoke to them. Those people were beaten up quite badly, as her "Varia Suit" as she calls it boasts the biggest assortment of destructive weaponry in our organization's entire arsenal. "You should know by now that I have the perfect way to clear out a hallway of enemies."

Snake smirks at her. "Be my guest then, Samus."

Samus, with her metal boots clanking on the floor with each step, walks into the elevator facing outward. She presses a button on a control panel standing up from the edge of the elevator, and the meshed-metal doors slide closed. The elevator begins its descent, but as she goes down and can see some bits coming off the end of her hand cannon, swirling it around at a dizzying speed and forming a blue circle of light around it. Realizing what she's about to do, I get a bit nervous... I start to feel a bit sorry for the Alloys, wondering if they were made to feel pain.

In the exhibition matches we have, there is an item call a "Smash Ball" that glows every colour of the rainbow and stars the symbol of our organization on it. When a Smasher breaks this ball, they are allowed to use a super-powerful attack that more often than not would mean the death of anyone who is in front of it, called a "Final Smash." My Final Smash is a PSI technique known as PK Starstorm, where I collect energy above me and send it down on my opponents as a shower of meteor-like balls of light. Samus' Final Smash is what she calls the Zero Laser, where she charges up so much energy into her cannon that when she fires it, it comes out as a massive beam of light that lasts for a good few seconds, pretty much immolating whatever is in its way. The spinning blue light around her arm cannon is the charge-up procedure for the Zero Laser, which means that any second now...

My attention is drawn to an unlit lamp in the room, which is starting to shake with a slow and gradual rumbling in the floor. But that's all I get to notice, because that small tremor almost instantly becomes an earthquake. The force knocks the lamp right off of its desk, and topples several Smashers who weren't prepared for it, including myself. In the past exhibition matches that I'd at least seen, the Zero Laser had never struck a solid surface; it was always directed outward towards the edge of the arena. I didn't expect the impact it could deliver to be _that_ strong...

The carpeting in the centre of the room began to rise, causing a fallen Bowser to scramble off of it. When I could see into the elevator again, Samus' Varia Suit had fallen to pieces around her. Where there was once a bounty huntress clad in armor, there was now beautiful young woman in either her late twenties or early thirties... she never told anyone her age. Her hair was long and blonde with a ponytail in the back, and her eyes were dark blue and fearless. She wore a skin-tight blue jumpsuit that she calls the "Zero Suit," which has a unique form of gun holstered to its right side; it can either fire electric stun blasts, or create a laser whip. She calls this weapon the "Paralyzer," which is apt since it's supposed to be a stun gun.

Alas, Samus' Zero Laser has a big drawback: the power charge is so great that it shorts out the Varia Suit, causing it to literally fall to pieces at her feet. In exhibition matches she could throw those suit pieces at enemies, but it's not as effective in reality. "All clear." Samus says after the elevator opens up its mesh doors, with a hint of remorse as she looks down at the pieces of her armor.

Snake claps his hand onto her shoulder and says, "Thanks for taking one for the team." he tells her.

Wordlessly she bends down and pushes her armor out of the elevator, her face slightly scrunched up in irritation. If there's one thing I learned about Samus, she hates it when people make a pass on her. Snake does this on rare occasions, but it's usually Captain Falcon. Apparently she broke his arm once, and his nose three times. Samus doesn't need her Varia Suit to do damage, in fact she's as physically fit as Falcon. She's one of the most agile Smashers here other than Sonic.

Ignoring – and probably fully expecting – that he was just shot down, Snake addresses the Smashers in the room. "Alright, this is our way down to Master Hand's underground complex. His Alloy-making machines are, and we have to destroy them if we want this manor back permanently. Also we could possibly, and probably _will_ be, going up against Master Hand himself." he informs everyone. "Make your choice now: go outside to help our armies, or come down with me to end this."

Already I knew what my choice would be. Without a word, I stepped into the elevator. Lyn followed me in immediately, and I look up at her. I can see the reflection of my glowing red eyes in her calm, ocean-blue ones... and I can also see her determination as well. Her hand clasps my shoulder, and she smiles down at me. "Let's end this."

"I'd say it's about time Master Oven-Mitt told us what the heck is going on!" Bowser said, punching his fist into his palm before stepping into the elevator with us.

"I can't remember the last time I've actually _wanted_ to smack something with my umbrella..." That came from... Princess Peach, who had also joined us. So she'd already returned from Magica? I think to ask her about whether or not Princia's people came up with a cure for my curse, but... no, now isn't the time. Seeing his princess enter, Mario quickly followed, and Luigi followed him.

Luigi is Mario's younger brother, yet he is his opposite in nearly every way. His clothing is green instead of red – his hat even has an "L" symbol in place of the "M" – he is taller and thinner, and his moustache isn't as pronounced. He's often viewed as the coward of the two brothers, always being in Mario's shadow, but he can still fight just as well. Even his fire is green instead of red, and I've even heard he can use lightning... though I've never seen this in exhibition matches or missions. Snake is a big fan of him for reasons he refuses to tell anyone.

"Don't forget about us!" Ness said, he and Paula running into the elevator as well... but with a third child in tow. I recognize him as Jeff, another of his friends. He has short blonde hair and wears thick, square glasses, and has freckles on his cheeks. He wears a suave green suit with a black tie, shiny black shoes and has a gun or some sort holstered on his black belt; it's a laser gun, according to Ness. He's also one of the smartest people here, and served as the calm and collected thinker in Ness' adventures. Just like I usually take Lyn with me on missions, Ness brings this Assistant with him.

"Hey, wait for us!" say Popo and Nana in unison, the Ice Climbers also joining us.

Samus looked at everyone crowding in the elevator, then looked outside. Shrugging, she says, "Well, I don't want to be left behind... and I'm not crazy enough to fight an army without my Varia Suit. Alright, count me in." She also joins us.

"Wrecking big machines, huh? Sounds like a party to me!" says Sonic, who manages to wiggle his way into the crowd. Jeez, including myself, that's already fourteen people who want to go underground.

Snake enters the elevator next, and I'm noticing that things are starting to get a little cramped... "Well, I guess that's the group heading underground, because we can't fit anyone else in here." he says, addressing those outside. "Whether the rest of you want to help the armies outside or just stay safe in here, that's your choice."

That's when I realize someone is missing. "Wait, where's Sabata?" I ask. I didn't see him walk into the elevator... but a glance through the mesh doors revealing him standing right beside me... from outside.

"Sorry kid, but as much as I want to, I can't..." he says. "Don't forget, my power comes from night and moonlight. I'm better off wrecking the robots outside."

I'm about to ask what the difference is since we're going underground, but... I quickly see that he's right. Seeing underground means we need lights, which would remove any darkness, and _being_ underground means no moonlight can get in. Sabata would have no means of recharging his power if he went with us. "I... understand." I concede. "Be careful."

He nods to me and says, "You too, Lucas."

"Alright, are we all ready?" Snake says to us in the elevator. Everyone, including myself, says their own iteration of "yes." Without any further ado, I hear a click as he switches the elevator on, and I can slowly see the floor rising up around me.

"Good luck, kid!" Sabata calls out to me. "Smash him once for me!" And then I can see nothing, as the elevator begins its full descent and we are immersed in darkness. My eyes are the only source of light... which isn't much, and frankly it's a little creepy.

But enough about that, now it's time to settle the score with Master Hand... here I come...

* * *

**A/N:** I think the ending might have been a little rushed, but I'll let you guys decide (if anyone still reads this). I'd actually intended to put the entire manor scene into a single chapter, but it was starting to get too long, so I'm going to break it up into two chapters instead.

Don't forget to Read and Review! (It's been so long since I got to say that…)


	25. Chapter 23: What Comes from Darkness

**A/N:** And now... where things get pushed to the extreme. There have been many occasions where Lucas was pushed further and further away from the truth, but all of them will be eclipsed now by the sheer inanity of what is going to happen next.

But before that, there are a couple of changes to the previous chapters that I overlooked and will now list:

-In the chapter where Princia reveals she was in the latest Super Smash Brothers tournament, I've put a description of how that tournament went down.

-In the Intermezzo where Shadow said he was always watching Lucas, I made it so that he wasn't and never has been, and that Giegue was the culprit behind that. Shadow is just very good at predicting Lucas' moves.

-A quick change to the previous chapter, Lucas retrieved his Mystical Staff from his room during the breakouts. (Not updated yet though.)

These revised chapters aren't up yet mind you, but these are the changes they will feature so no one gets confused.

And now, without further ado...

* * *

_Chapter 23: What Comes from Darkness_

"Hey Lucas, can you turn up the lights a bit? I can't see a darned thing!"

I'm not sure if that was intended to be a joke or not, but I didn't approve of it nonetheless, and the glowing of my eyes is directed straight at Bowser as a glare. That was... actually the first snide remark anyone made about my new form. And I didn't like it. It's not like I have any control over the brightness of the red glowing in my eyes... I'd rather not have them at all if I had a choice. "Oh, stuff it, Bowser. Now's not the time for your lame jokes." Ness retorts in my defense. I silently thank him... though I also withhold my statement that his jokes aren't much better.

I do understand the basis of the joke, though... as we descend underground in this elevator, there isn't so much as a speck of outside light. In fact the only light in here is actually coming from my eyes, and their red glow isn't much illumination. I can't even tell what kind of wall the elevator is surrounded in... metal? Wood? Or is it just ground? Regardless, I find this whole glowing thing really eerie now that I've actually seen it in practice... it isn't really an effective sight method. It's just not bright enough. It's only a cosmetic change if anything.

"Mario, can you make a fireball or something? I don't like being in the dark like this!" Peach complained.

"Not-a without-a burning-a someone. We're-a too-a cramped." Mario replied, evident by his Italian accent. I often wonder why I don't hear this accent from Peach since these two are from the same world and know each other quite well...

"Oh, quit whining about a light, guys. We're nearly to the bottom." Samus interrupts. I suppose she of would know best out of the fourteen of us crammed into this elevator, having just used it herself a couple of minutes ago.

Sure enough, a crease of light begins to form in the bottom of the mesh-style elevator doors. Even without my PSI, I can tell that the atmosphere has turned from lax to serious as silence falls upon us all, preparing for what might await us at the bottom. As we descend, I can see clearly that the path in front of us is a hallway composed purely of metallic materials. It would all be pale grey with blue fluorescent lights reflecting off of it... at least if it weren't for Samus' earlier Zero Laser. The mesh doors slide open, and we can all clearly see the aftermath of her ultimate attack in the form of charred walls, floor and ceiling. Half of the fluorescent, tube-shaped ceiling lights are broken and sparking, and remnants of Alloys charred pitch black are strewn all the way down the corridor where a large cavity had been burned out of the far wall. "Sheesh... you sure know how to wreck a party." Sonic compliments Samus.

"Alright people, this is how the next phase breaks down." Snake says. "There are two machine lines in this complex that produce the Alloys, one on each side of the Manor for quick access to the outside. If all is going well, the Alloys should be diverted by Philanthropy and the Meta Knights. All we need to do is sneak in from behind and destroy them."

"That's all we need to do? This'll be cake then!" Bowser said with confidence, mashing his fists – pardon me, claws – together.

"If that's all we need to do down here, why'd you bring so many of us?" Jeff asked.

"Because this is Master Hand we're dealing with." Snake replies. "He has complete control over this place, so we have to hit hard and fast. We can't do that with a small group. It's a simple plan: split up into groups of three, two of them disable the Allow makers, while the third confronts Master Hand."

Snake looks directly at me when he says that last part... he probably knows which group I'll be going with. "Well, this shouldn't take very long then!" Peach says, holding a finger up. "All we have to do is shut down some machines. Once that's done, we can help anyone else who needs it, right?"

"Exactly." Snake confirms. "Now, enough talk, let's go."

That's all that needs to be said to start everyone running down the damaged corridor.

"The western Alloy makers are directly left from here." Snake informs us as we near the end, where the hall branches off to the left and right.

"That's my cue!" Sonic says with excitement. "Anyone wanna join me?"

"We do, we do!" says both Popo and Nana at once. I can't get over how they always do that, saying the same thing at the same time. Are they _sure_ they aren't distant relatives or something? As they excuse themselves from our group when we turn the corner, I hear them shout, "Hey, wait up!" Were the circumstances better, I would probably laugh; Sonic just can't slow down...

This next hallway is very long... I imagine it's as long as the manor is wide, possibly even longer. "Nothing of importance down this next one." Snake tells us as we approach a branch in the corridor. But before we even get close to it, a pair of Alloys rush out of it. One red and one blue, both carrying Super Scopes. Both of them get into a crouching stance, and we can hear the distinct hum of their weapons charging up.

"Ness, I think that's your cue!" Paula shrieks, and I can hear her and several other people skidding to a stop as we realize we can't get to them in time to stop them. The aforementioned child suddenly yells and stumbles in front of us just as their weapons fire out big balls of light at least twice the size of my head. For a moment I fear that he won't get his PK Magnet up in time... but my fears are unwarranted; he absorbs both blasts into his personal bubble which he spawned not a moment too soon. They begin to charge their weapons again, but Paula and Snake take them down from afar with their PSI and pistol respectively.

Ness turns to Paula with an angry expression. "Geez, Paula! Warn me next time you do something like that!" he shouts at her.

"You're the only one here who can stop those things, and you were behind us all!" Paula retorts.

"Well you didn't have to _throw_ me!" He snaps back at her. "What would've happened if I'd tripped and didn't get the magnet up in time!"

What? So Paula _threw_ Ness in front of us all so he could absorb the blasts? That was... really risky, and an apparent lack of foresight on her part, since Ness is even clumsier than _me_ sometimes. Seeing that they're glaring at each other as if they hate each other's guts – which I know isn't the case, they love each other dearly – I decide to break them up. I grab both of them by the collars of their clothing and pull them apart. "_Enough_, both of you! This isn't the time!" I say forcefully, before shoving them forward to get them going down the hallway again, and they are quickly followed by everyone else.

A little while later, we reach another path branching off from here. "Master Hand's bunker is that way." Snake tells us. "I'm going for the other Alloy maker, so this is where we split up. Whoever isn't fighting Master Hand, you're with me."

I can hear a low growl coming from Samus. "As much as I want to make him pay for locking me up, I don't think I can fight someone that powerful without my Varia Suit. Guess I'm going with you, Snake." she says. We reach the next corridor, and those of us eager to confront Master Hand turn and head down it. "Good luck, guys! Hit him once for me!" I hear Samus call out to us.

I turn to face the path... but suddenly, the ground below my feet changes and disrupts my balance. The floor has begun to tilt downward and the walls expand outward, leaving me with nothing to grab onto. Despite my best efforts, gravity wins out and I fall face-first into the ramp. Ow... that was embarrassing. I try to shrug it off and ignore the laughter of my friends while I get back up, seeing the... door? It's _huge_... a gigantic metal slab, probably twice the size of the one I had punched my way out of back at San Miguel... and considering Snake said this was a bunker made by Master Hand, it's probably twice as thick. There's no doorknob or hinges or anything, it's just like a big, grey obstruction. "Whoa... that's kinda excessive, don't you think?" Ness comments.

"Mister Snake said it was a bunker. It's supposed to be as impregnable as possible." Jeff tells him. He jogs up to a large control panel beside the door, a numberpad from the looks of it... a very _big_ number pad, attached to the wall. Well, Master Hand is a big glove, so I guess he made buttons to better fit his fingertips. Above the numberpad there is a green screen of some sort, about as wide as the whole numberpad but only as tall as one of the keys was. This must be a password lock for the door. Experimenting, Jeff presses a few of the oversized numberpad keys – having to press the buttons with his whole hand because they were so big – and a string of numbers gradually appears on the screen. It ends up as, "6848393458." Then, a couple of seconds later, the numbers disappear and the sound of a buzzer reverberates through the corridor. The door is not moving, so I can only assume he did something wrong. "A ten-digit password... that could be almost anything!" the boy genious says with evident frustration.

"Can't you hack it or something?" Ness asks.

Jeff starts inspecting the huge numberpad with both his hands and his eyes, as if feeling for something... but he eventually turns to Ness and shakes his head. "The whole thing is sunk into the wall. If there _is_ some way for me to tamper with it, I can't get at it from here."

"Well then, all we have to do is get it _out_!" Bowser says, stomping up from behind me, and I can hear him cracking his knuckles. He moves in front of us and is about to try and work his claws around the sides of the numberpad.

"W-wait, Bowser!" Jeff says pleadingly, running in front of him... that was a bold move coming from him, or anyone for that matter. He's lucky Bowser wasn't running, or the kid genious would've been flattened like a pancake. "If you damage it, we might never be able to get in there!"

Bowser stops in place, claws millimetres away from the technology. His head tilts downward towards the freckled blonde at his feet and he asks, "Well, what _else_ are we gonna do!"

No doubt Jeff is trying to come up with a feasible response to his question, but his silence tells me he's not having much luck. Neither I nor anyone else seems to have an answer either. "If it were a word or a phrase, I'm sure we could figure it out... but numerical passwords are completely random. We could try for days, weeks or even _months_ and still not get the right one." Peach says.

"Exactly. Ripping the thing out of the wall is the only thing we _can_ do right now, so get outta the way!" Bowser finishes. After a moment of hesitation, Jeff moves aside, allowing the giant turtle full access to the numberpad. But there's a problem with it being sunk into the wall, which Bowser makes clear as he tries to pry it out: his claws don't fit in between the tiny, tiny gaps between the electronics and the steel. Try as he might, the only success he has is in accidentally snapping the "9" key in half. Dropping the piece of plastic he broke off and probably very frustrated by this point, Bowser growls, "Oh, to hell with this!" and resorts to bludgeoning the numberpad with his fists. The screen displays up a "5" before his claw tears its way through the centre of the number pad.

Then the entire screen turns green and a "ding-dong" sound is heard. I feel a low rumble as, somehow, the door begins to rise. "Wha?" both Bowser and Jeff say at once, probably as dumbfounded as I am.

"...The-a password-a was only-a one digit?" Luigi asks.

"That or-a Bowser-a broke it." Mario replies.

"Huh... I see." Jeff mutters just loud enough to be heard, his hand on his chin. "No one would think to enter a one-digit password. It's risky, but it's clever."

"Haha! That was lucky!" Ness cheers.

Bowser crosses his arms and snorts, wearing a superior, toothy smirk. At least that's what I think it is, it's hard to tell whether he's smiling or not with such a rugged face. "Who says violence never solves anything?"

"WHY IS THE DOOR RISING!" bellows a voice from... not any of us. But I definitely recognize it. The hilarious moment ends in my mind when I remember who the owner of that voice is. It's definitely Master Hand. As the door rises more, I bend down to look under it... and I see him. No, wait... I see _two_ of him. Two giant, floating white gloves, except one of them looks like a left-handed glove. Crazy Hand, Master Hand's psychotic brother. So he's hiding here too? "_You_!" Master Hand growls, pointing at me with his index finger. I can tell he's very angry even without my PSI. "How _dare_ you return here!"

The door has risen enough to walk under normally, and I enter the bunker. I take a brief moment to look at my surroundings. The bunker is a huge room, but most of its size seems unneeded. It's a giant dome, all made of dark-gray steel like the door I entered through. The exterior of the room is lined with giant computer screens and terminals of many sorts, some suspended on the walls, some sitting on the floor, most of them displaying parts of the inside of the manor. An Alloy mans each and every one of those terminals, quickly getting out of their seats at my entrance... to my relief, they aren't armed, but there are still a lot of them. I roughly estimate at least thirty.

Sightseeing complete, I'm eager to return Master Hand's hostility. This is it... he has nowhere to run. I have a gut-feeling that whether it were my intention or not, that this will turn violent no matter what I do now. "What do you mean, 'how dare you?' I _live_ here, just like you do!" I shout as I hear the footsteps of my friends gathering around me.

"You _used_ to." Master Hand replied. "Until you ran away. You left so you wouldn't hurt anyone here... why are you back _now_ of all times!"

"Because you crossed the line!" I answer, shaking my fist at him. "You lied to us about Shadow, you sent Mewtwo to try and _kill_ me, _and_ you locked everyone up for no good reason! It's about time you told us _why_! We _know_ something big is going on, and we know you have something to do with it, so start talking!"

If I didn't know better, I'd think Master Hand's reply was a snort. "Did it ever cross your ignorant mind that perhaps I simply _can't_ tell you the truth? What if, for reasons you couldn't possibly comprehend, telling you the truth would open a whole new world of disaster for us all?" he says, trying to sound calm, but I can still hear the raggedness in his voice..

"And you haven't done that already!" Ness shouts.

"Not even _close_!" Master Hand replies immediately. "My Smashers... I will tell you right now that you are getting yourselves involved in matters much bigger than you can imagine, much too dangerous for you all and for all of the worlds. So I will only warn you once." He breathes in and out, slowly, as if hesitating in what he wants to say next. "Turn back and leave us be, or I will be forced to disband the Super Smash Brothers Organization, and end all of your existences here and now."

Now there was a cacophony of surprised yells and "What's" from the crowd of Smashers, and I joined in. _Disband_ Super Smash Brothers! Is he really _that_ desperate! "Disband us!" Peach shrieked. "But this organization is the only thing that keeps the peace in some of the worlds! You would risk all of those lives just to keep this mystery from us!"

"You're damn right I would!" Master Hand bellowed. I can hear the princess shuffling backward a bit at the sudden tone of anger... were I not so determined in my purpose here, I would probably be scared too. "The secrets that I am forced to protect are bigger and more dangerous than you could _possibly_ imagine! And I _will_ protect them, at any cost! The potential lives lost from the breaking up of this organization are _nothing_ compared to what will happen if the truth is discovered!"

When he says that, a small gasp escapes my mouth as I lower my head in thought. Those words...

_Some must live and some must die. 'Caring' for my comrades, as you put it, only makes it harder to accept that simple fact. Besides, if Shadow's plan comes to fruition, a great deal more lives than that of the Smashers will be lost. I will do what must be done. Nothing more, nothing less. A few lost Smashers are a small price to pay._

Mewtwo... he said nearly the exact same to me, when he tried to kill me despite that I needed to get back to my friends, that they were in mortal peril at the time... that he was willing to lose so many lives for the sake of his ideals... but I'd thought Master Hand was better than that...

"...The last person who said that to me is dead..." I spit at him. I can hear everyone behind me gasping at me, whether at the venom in my tone or admitting that I killed someone before, I'm not sure. But right now that's not the point. I raise my head again, looking straight at the glove with a furious scowl. "_How dare you gamble with the lives of others_!" I shout. "I don't give a damn how _important _your reasons are, _nothing_ can justify the loss of that many lives! You... you're just like Mewtwo! You're a power-hungry creature without a soul!"

"_SILENCE_!" Master Hand retorts at me. "You understand _nothing_ about the trials and turmoil Mewtwo and I have went through! Do you think my position is all fun and games! The demise of all beings is something that must eventually come to pass! If I must save the worlds by sacrificing a few of them, that so be it!"

"Sacrificing them to..." I begin to say, but I stop there... I really don't understand. "You're not making any sense!"

_Stomp_, from the left of me. Bowser seems ready to voice his own opinion. "Sacrifice... that's the talk of someone who's given up!" he growls, and I look to him to see him in a battle stance. "_I'd_ never do something to put that many lives at risk, even _I'm_ not _that_ bad! If your secrets or whatever mumbo-jumbo you're talking about are really that dangerous, you never should've done anything with them in the first place!"

I hear a "click" from my right... I look over to Lyn, who has her Mani Katti ever-so-slightly unsheathed. "And you say that your reasons are so dangerous, yet you just want us to ignore them?" she asks. "I'm sorry, but that isn't how it works. You imprisoned us and forced our friend into exile with your plans to kill him, even breaking the laws of our organization that _you_ made. You _owe_ us an explanation for everything you've done, and we're not leaving until we get it, simple as that!"

I face Master Hand again. "Me neither. I came here not only to save my friends, but for the truth." I put myself into a fighting stance, my staff pointed at him. "Even if I have to beat it out of you."

"_Ooh_... you're _so_ scary..." For the first time I hear Crazy Hand contribute to the conversation. His voice is discordant and higher-pitched than Master Hand's. "The mortals are angry... I'm so _terrified_~" He then descends into one of his trademark laughing fits, twitching erratically and sinking from the air to the floor, thrashing around...

Wait, did he just call us mortals? Like... Shadow did?

"Then... I will do what I must." Master Hand says, his fist clenching up. "As much as it pains me to admit it, the Super Smash Brothers Organization has become too involved in higher affairs. Very well, I will take responsibility and end it here before it gets out of hand."

"Ugh! How can you making _killing_ so many innocent people sound so simple and _calm_!" Ness said, taking a spot beside me and readying his baseball bat. "And to think, we _worked_ for this two-faced freak!"

"No, not anymore." Peach is the next to speak, and I see her gripping her umbrella... rather tightly. This always meant she was going to smash something with it. Even now, it gives me the chills, that and the determination in her voice. "He can't just throw all of those lives away... I won't let him! We'll just have to keep protecting everyone without him!"

"Right, we don't need this loser!" Bowser added. "Let's just get what we want out of him and get rid of him!"

"For-a once, I couldn't agree-a more." Said Mario, stepping in front of Bowser. It's faint, but I can see sparks of flame licking at his white gloves. Luigi stood beside his brother, wordless, but lacking his usual shaking... was he brushing his cowardice aside for now?

With all of the forces that are aligned against Master Hand, I can't help but smile. With all of us working together... we can't possibly fail. I look back to Master Hand. "No more hiding, no more running! I'll make you talk if it's the last thing I do!" I threaten him.

Crazy Hand stops having his spasm on the floor and joins Master Hand hovering in the air. They curl up into fists, as if they were held by an actual giant person, while the right hand pointed its index finger at us. "The only thing you've gotten by challenging me is a one-way trip the great beyond!" Master Hand replied. "Remember just whose wrath you've brought down!"

At that moment, the inevitable confrontation began. As if given an unseen signal, the masses of Alloys along the walls of the room came out swinging, rushing at us as fast as their robotic legs would let them. But they're all unarmed, and we took down _armed_ Alloys without even breaking a sweat... even if they were swarming us like this, surely they wouldn't be too difficult to handle, right?

Bowser didn't seem to think so. Three of the Alloys, two red and one yellow, had tried to gang up on him, only to damage their hands on his spiked shell which he then dashed into them with. A blue and green Alloy both team up on Princess Peach, but in one clean swipe of her umbrella, they stumble backwards with their heads cracked open and spewing electrical sparks. The Mario brothers rush to defend their princess upon seeing her attacked, fending off a pair of red Alloys.

Before I can see how that confrontation turns out, I see a Blue Alloy out of the corner of my eye, dashing headlong for me. I respond by rushing at it myself, not giving it the chance to actually prepare any sort of attack or counterattack before punching its head right off; using my staff wasn't necessary for this hunk of junk. Two more of the same Alloys attempt to get at me as soon as the previous one fell, but faster than I can even blink, Lyn is in front of me with the Mani Katti drawn, and the robots are both cut in half horizontally. While they finish falling over, I look back at the others... no one seems to be having a great amount of trouble dealing with them despite that they outnumber us by well over double. But again, they're all unarmed. Hand-to-hand combat is no problem for any Smasher as far as I know.

Knowing that they'll be alright, I turn my attention back to Master Hand. It seems we're both aware that nothing is standing between us, because both he and Crazy Hand are balled up into fists, ready for the battle to begin. I glance at Lyn, and she nods, knowing what's about to happen. I brandish my staff and let out a war cry, signalling the charge. We sprint, and they fly at us. Looks like we're about to meet in the middle of the room...

"Lucas, Lyn, get away from there! _Now_!"

Or not!

It was Paula's voice, sounding genuinely panicked. I barely have enough sense to grab Lyn by the collar of her shirt to stop her from moving as well, and it appears it was just in time, as not a minute later I hear an impactful _crash_ from directly above us. I look up just in time to see the very top of the dome cracking... I impulsively drag Lyn back with me trying to get away from the center of the room, not even a second before the dome breaks open, and a torrent of bright-blue light breaks through. It impacts the floor, and the sheer force it puts out is enough to blow us both backward a few feet and onto our backs.

I hear a surprised scream from both Master Hand and Crazy Hand... did they have time to react? When the beam of light fades away into nothingness, I can see that they did not; both hands are on the ground a couple of feet away from the blast, probably pushed backwards from it, and have a scorch mark over their middle finger going all the way up their wrists like a racing stripe.

"Merciful Father Sky!" Lyn wailed, clearly as surprised as me. "We were nearly right under that!" She's right... and looking at the part of the floor where it hit, there's now a literally red-hot indentation worn into the solid steel, about as wide as the blue light was. It had to have been a laser, and a powerful one at that. I don't think either of us would've survived if we were caught in that...

"Are you two alright!" Paula calls out to us, and I turn around briefly to see her, Ness and Jeff running towards us.

"Thanks to you, yeah!" I call back, getting back onto my feet. Lyn is quick to follow suit.

"Where did that laser blast come from!" Ness asked. "I didn't see anything on the ceiling that could do that!"

"There wasn't." Jeff confirms for him. "In fact, there shouldn't be anything like that above-ground either; we're right under the manor. Something just blew through it, a few feet of earth and that reinforced steel ceiling."

Oh yeah... Lyn and I definitely would've died if we'd been directly hit by that. I don't even think my monster body would've lived through that! "Then what the hell _was_ it!" Ness yelled. "The only one who could do that around here is Samus, and even if she _weren't_ down here, her suit already fell apart!"

"Guys... it's... I..." Paula... her voice was suddenly faint-sounding. In fact, she was even starting to fall over.

"P-Paula!" Ness stammered, catching her before she fell over. What's wrong with her all of the sudden!

"Something's coming..." she rasped out. "Something really powerful is coming through the roof!"

I look up at the hole in the roof... suddenly all is quiet in the room. It helps me to listen... I can definitely hear some kind of whistling... I get the faintest feeling I've heard it before, but I can't place it. "Oh boy..." Ness says, and I can hear him gulp afterwards. "This feeling... I haven't felt like this since we got attacked at Princia's place..."

Princia's place... does he mean the Magican Royal Palace? But I don't sense it... oh right, monster body. "And for those of us who _don't_ have access to our PSI right now!" I remind him. The only person who immediately comes to mind that they could've sensed is... "Don't tell me Shadow's coming through there!"

As if to add to my frustration, Ness and Paula are silent for a moment, as if contemplating their answer. "No... it's not Shadow..." Ness finally speaks up. "This doesn't feel anything like Shadow, its not as cold and twisted... but I definitely sense PSI and I _know_ I felt this at Magica..."

More silence, and I can hear the whistling getting closer... no, it's not whistling. It sounds more like an engine... a jet engine. What could Ness be feeling? From Magica with the ability to use PSI, but _not_ Shadow? Then who else could...

...Oh no.

...Oh _God_ no.

_Please_ no... not _him_! _Not him_!

The source of the laser blast finally emerges, slowly descending into view... and a horrible, deep sensation of fear falls onto me. The sight or those orange pants and black jacket makes the colour drain from my face. The sight of that wing-shaped jetpack and the smoking cannon that replaces his right arm makes my heart leap into my throat. And his head... the sight of it... I can't accurately describe what I'm feeling when I see that ruffled orange hair... and those _eyes_... one blue, one glowing red... and... and... his face...

_My_ face...

No... _no_... _please_ just let this be another nightmare... _please_ don't let this be real!

I scream. I scream like I've just seen the angel of death descending from the sky, coming to take my life. My body begins to slowly and shakily step backward of its own accord, wanting nothing more than to get _away_ from him. _Him_... "C... C... C-C-C..." I can't even say his name... my mind is so close to snapping right now that my entire core is shaking.

"Lucas... is that...!" "Are you alright! You're as pale as a ghost!" "Dude, snap out of it!"

The words of my friends are going in one ear and the other... I'm too focused on _him_...

My brother...

"_CLAUS_!"

I finally manage to say his name, shouting his name at the top of my lungs before I fall down. Even then, my arms and legs are pushing me backward along the floor. I recognize everything about the boy my age who flew through the new hole in the roof... I recognize it so much, it's like my nightmares are coming true... no, they _have_ come true...

"It _is_ him... Lucas' twin brother..." Lyn murmurs.

"Why... why is he _here_! Why _now_!" Jeff asks. "You told me his task is to kill Lucas, but why would he have to show up _now_ of all times!" Gee, thanks for the reminder, Jeff!

"You... why are _you_ here!" Master Hand shouts at him, he and his brother slowly hovering over the floor again. "And confound it, pay attention to where you're aiming at! You did more damage to _us_ than _them_!" He starts flexing himself... I can hear the cracking of knuckles... "No matter... you're here now, so I'll let you do your job."

Claus speaks then... "How generous of you."

The sound of his voice... hearing it again, in reality, after all this time... it sends shivers down my spine. That terror multiplies inside of me when green sparks begin to arc around his body... it's even beginning to _glow_ green... he reaches his free hand up into the air... oh no. Not _that_ attack.

"E-Everyone, _run_!" I shout to everyone. "He's going to use PK Love!"

"_What_!" Ness and Paula wail. They don't heed my warning, but instead erect a respective PK Magnet and Psycho Shield around all of us. But what about the people _behind_ us, still at the door! "Darn it guys, we can't shield all of you! Get out of here, _now_!" Ness screams at the others.

Claus' body begins to glow brighter and brighter... he's moving his arm down...

...And points it _behind_ him.

"Wh... wh-wh..." Master Hand stammers. "_WHAT ARE YOU DOING_!"

Its disbelief all around, every Smasher in the room voicing question of why in the world I'm no longer the target, but Master Hand instead. And no one is more confused than _me_ right now! "You overestimate your power relative to that of your former pawns, Master Hand. My task is only to erase Lucas, not any of the others. You will easily be overpowered by those that remain." He turns his head to the awestruck glove. "And you will be forced to divulge our secrets. This I cannot allow... thus, the only solution is that _you_ must first be erased."

The glow moves from his body into his arm... and then out his hand comes the PSI technique that the Smashers know me so well for. A barrage of blue-green hexagons flows out of his hand, and rains down on Master Hand and Crazy Hand. I can only hear their screams of terror as the attack makes contact, but the explosions that results are so bright that I can't see them... in fact, the force of the attack is so great that it knocks me backward even further. A quick series of thud sounds tells me that everyone else was pushed back too. I'm almost afraid to get back up again... what became of the Hands? I sit up... and among the smoke, I see barely anything of them...

Only tatters of what was once their gloves... floating up and fading away like smoke...

No way...

Claus just... _killed_ Master Hand and Crazy Hand... with one shot...

"But... but... _NO_!" I hear Bowser roar. "_We_ were supposed to do that!"

"What on earth! I thought he was on _their_ side!" Peach asked.

"Apparently-a not..." Luigi said, his voice quivering... his fear has returned. I can't blame him.

"Master Hand..." Ness says, getting back onto his feet, only for me to hear him sink back down to his knees. "He... he was our only lead..."

Claus' arm becomes lax, and he turns back to me... looking straight at me. There's no emotion on his face... his expression is completely stoic. "Now that our secrets are safe, I will now carry out my duty and erase you, Lucas, before the Eternal called 'Shadow' can be allowed to use you for his purposes." He reaches into his vest, and pulls out a golden... tube... I hear it click, and a beam of orange light comes out of it. It's his sword... "Consider what I must do an act of mercy, for your fate will be much worse should Shadow's ambitions succeed."

What... what is all of this stuff he's saying? He's not speaking like usual... but I'm too terrified to contemplate it as I see him raising his sword up above his head. My mind flashes back to back then... back at Nowhere Island, when we were together at the final needle... when he took his helmet off, and called down his final lightning strike... my badge reflected it, and it took his life instead... but this time I don't have the Franklin Badge. Psycho Shields don't reflect lightning, PK Magnet doesn't absorb it, and there's no way to outrun it... no one in this room has any way to stop the attack that's coming...

I can finally feel my heart freeze over in a lump of cold, hard truth... I'm... I'm going to die... all I can do is let out a loud whine and cover my head as I hear the lightning crackling on his sword, about to be released... I don't want to see what's going to kill me... just... let it be painless...

_CRASSSHHHZZZT_!

...

I'm... not hurt...

My eyes shoot open in terror; the only reason I could not be hurt is... if something was in front of me...

"_NESS_!" I shout, seeing that it is indeed him who is standing between me and certain death, arms spread wide as if shielding me from the lightning... this is just like during the Subspace Incident, when Wario shot me with the Dark Cannon... but... this wouldn't turn him into a trophy, this would _vaporize him_! "_What are you doing_! My life isn't worth losing your own!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" He replies. My jaw goes completely slack... he... doesn't sound like he's in pain. In fact, now that I look closer, he doesn't seem hurt at all! He even turns his head to me and _smiles_! "No one's dying here today! Just watch this!" He then turns back to Claus. "_Back at ya, sucker_!"

Both of his arms are pointed upwards at the source of the lightning strike. The lightning begins to circle around his arms, before arcing and firing right back to where it came from. There's another loud "crash" as the lightning explodes right on target... oh god... this is just like before... without a yell or a retaliatory action, Claus falls through the explosion and hits the ground with a thud.

How... how in the world... "Ness..." I say in a light voice. "How did you do that...?"

He turns to me with a big, goofy grin on his face. He points to the breast of his shirt... and that's when I see it. Something is pinned to his shirt that wasn't there before we entered the bunker. A blue badge with a golden outline, with a decorative lightning bolt symbol in the middle. "You told me your brother used lightning, and I knew we'd have to go up against him sometime, so I dug this out of my room. Stuffed it in my pocket just in case."

I can't believe what it is that I'm seeing pinned to his shirt... it's the Franklin Badge...

"But... how... how do _you_ have the Franklin Badge?" I ask him in disbelief. "I thought it was smashed up!"

"Huh? I don't remember that ever happening... I've always had this." Ness replies in confusion. "Hey, wait a minute... how do _you_ even know what it _is_?"

How do I know? There's no way I could _forget_! "The Franklin Badge was how I beat Claus before!" I tell him immediately. "It was the only reason I survived his lightning..." It's for the first time that I wonder if there was more than one Franklin Badge... but... this... this isn't right! I'd journeyed all over Nowhere Island, and I only found one Franklin Badge... everywhere else in my world was destroyed! "What is this? How do you have something from _my_ world!"

"That's... wait, what? That's what _I_ was about to ask _you_!" Ness counters. "Man, this is too weird..." Weird is a definite understatement... my entire world was already gone except for my home island... Leder said everything was wiped out. So how does Ness have something from my world, something _I_ had and something I definitely saw smashed to bits? Just what is going o—

What the! My instincts make my head look straight up... it's... strange. I think I'm feeling something from up above... how? I don't have my PSI... but after taking a quick glance at Ness and Paula, they aren't looking at the ceiling... in fact, they're looking at _me_ with confused expressions. But whatever it is... it's approaching... its approaching _fast_! Every survival instinct in my body is telling me to _move_! "Guys, move, _now_! Something's coming from above!"

"What! Not again!" Ness complains before he moves, dragging Paula with him. I pull back along with Lyn, and Jeff just hops backward. I hear a loud rumbling, and then quickly see something break through the roof again. Not a blue laser beam this time, but... a _black_ one, nearly pitch black except for a purple outline, and at least twice as wide. It produces a "_Vssshhh_" sound as it hits the ground, the sheer force of the impact shaking the ground around us... damnit, that's the second time in the last few minutes that I was nearly crushed under a laser! But this one is strange... the light is almost totally gone from the room from where the beam is hitting. It's like the beam is _sucking_ the light straight out of the room. And I can feel it... I can definitely _feel_ power from this. A cold, malevolent power that almost makes my heart feel chilly... but how? It isn't PSI, otherwise Ness and Paula would've felt it... then what _is_ it? Suddenly, as quickly as it came, the beam starts to fade away...

At that moment, many things happen at once. I hear Jeff complaining about having to deal with all of this "absurd crap." I hear Peach complaining about why the ground hasn't stopped shaking, despite that the huge, black laser has stopped firing. I see sparks of light erupting from where my brother landed, his body now standing up, nearly-ridiculous amounts of electricity arcing around him... before it simply stops and he falls back onto the floor, face-first. Not even a scream, his body smouldering with smoke coming off of it...

Why...? Why is all of this happening! All I wanted to do was get answers... why is all of this happening to me! No... don't I already know? Isn't this just like back at Mute City, when I was making progress in recovering my sanity? When I was "getting to happy?"

But this... this doesn't have anything to do with my state of mind! I wasn't only trying to find the truth for myself, but for everyone else too! Wait... maybe... maybe it _is_ kind of the same thing... it's not so much my health, as it is me making progress in general...

It's just like when I thought everything and everyone was against me, when I went on that killing rampage... can't I do anything without going mad and putting everyone in danger?

Can't I do anything without every conceivable disaster getting in my way? Or... is that the whole point...? That things are _supposed_ to go horribly wrong when I'm involved...?

Why can't I ever get a break...?

Is everyone really against me?

Why am I being made to suffer through all of this...!

Why do they want me suffer so much!

Who... who is "they?"

My "friends," obviously.

_Pain_. A terrible, intense pain throbs throughout my entire head, so bad that I can only grip it and scream, falling down to my knees and dropping my staff. It... it _hurts_!

Why would my friends of all people want me to suffer!

Because they aren't really my friends!

"AAAGH!" My head cranes backward and I scream louder than before. It hurts so much that I can hear a ringing reverberating through my ears and my skull... why! Why am I feeling this much _pain_!

"What the heck! What's wrong, Lucas!" Ness... I can barely hear it over the noise... it's so loud, it hurts! Ugh... make it _stop_!

"Ness. Something's wrong with his mind!" Paula's voice... "Something's going _horribly_ wrong! I... I think he's losing himself again!"

"What! Not _now_!" Ness yells.

"Ness, use PK Hypnosis on him, quick!" Paula pleads.

Look, they're already conspiring against me! Why! Why would my friends do this! Why don't _they_ experience some of my pain!

A loud whimper escapes my throat as I violently swing my head forwards again... it's _unbearable_! The pain won't _stop_! My right hand leaves my head and starts pounding the ground on pure instinct, trying to dispel the pain through violence, while my other digs into my skull to relieve it... but it isn't working! Why isn't it _working_!

Then, suddenly, everything becomes deafly quiet... dull... calm. The pain is relaxing away... I can't tell what anyone is saying... I... I'm suddenly... sleepy... I... need to... sleep...

* * *

**A/N:** And the evil author that I am, I left in a huge cliffhanger... just what kind of ridiculous crap happened in this chapter! Don't worry... everything is going to be revealed within the next chapter or two, where this arc will rapidly approach its climax. The whole truth, I promise, will surprise you. And that impending climax will leave you speechless.

And before I sign off, I extend my apologies, again, for making you wait so long for this chapter. The reason is that I was trying my darnedest to secure a co-op job placement, wrap up some last-minute college work, and other "fun" real-life stuff (mission accomplished, by the way!). Now we're getting into the part of the story that I really want to write more than any other part, so I promise these chapters will come out in the very near future. R&R, and remember, good things come to those who wait.


	26. Chapter 24: Reunion

**A/N:** Time for the next chapter. I... actually don't have much to say this time. There's no updates with the previous chapters nor anything I can divulge that will give away major plot points, so I'll let the next two chapters do the talking. Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 24: Reunion_

"You twisted _monster_!"

"She was... she was..."

"How could you do this! _How_!"

Voices... those voices are familiar... who is speaking? I struggle to open my eyes... my eyelids feel so heavy... no, not just them, but my whole body. Like my entire body is being weighed down with lead... but I don't feel any weight. I think I'm just really tired... I can at least tell I'm laying on the ground on my stomach. I fight against gravity and fatigue to open my eyes, and bring my head up so I can see who is speaking...

"How could you do this to your best friend!"

"You're not even Lucas anymore, are you...? You're not even our friend anymore!"

I hear my name spat with venom just as I see what the source of all of this hatred is... it's... it's...

Me...

Or rather, my more demonic side...

It's with great shock and despair that I begin to take in the scene before me. My monster self is tied onto a wooden post with thick, black chains... with hay at the bottom. Burning hay. He's being burned at the stake, like a witch in the olden days of other worlds. The sky is nearly pitch black from the smoke. Everyone is here... _everyone_... not only the Smashers, but all of Tazmily... even my family... everyone is gathered around the gradually-burning fiend, shouting obscenities and voicing their rage. All at him... it's as if they don't even know I'm on the ground in front of them... everyone except...

Wait... where is Lyn? My eyes scour the crowds, but to no avail as I don't see her face...

Until I look down...

There she is, laying in front of me... with a giant, gaping hole in her chest.

I shriek and crawl back in revulsion and absolute horror at the sight of my friend... my _best_ friend, laying there, dead. Her eyes have no life in them, wide open and... staring at me soullessly... I feel like I'm going to be sick... I look up, at my monstrous counterpart, to see him not afraid of the fire, or of the crowd... but _smiling,_ smiling wickedly while he looks down at her body in obvious glee. And then... he looks at me... his grin widens again...

I realize it then... he killed her... he killed Lyn... no... _I_ killed Lyn... no... _no_! It _couldn't_ have been me! That is _not me_!

"If these are your true colours, Lucas, then I hope you burn in Hell forever!"

"Lucas... may these flames purify your tortured soul, and prevent you from torturing the souls of others..."

"No... _stop it_! Stop shouting at him!" I scream above the voices. "That isn't me! That monster is _not me_!"

But in spite of how loud I shouted, I was ignored... not one person even recognized that I was here beside her body. And then I hear laughing... I look back up at the stake, to see my other self _laughing_... laughing at _me_... "Deny it all you want, weak little idiot!" it says. "This is what'll happen if you don't accept who you are!"

Then it descends into a massive fit of laughter, as the fire has climbed up the stake and reached him... wait, why am _I_ feeling hot! I look down at my feet in panic, to see that fire is appearing around _my_ feet! I... I can't move! All of the sudden I can't move! The... the fire... it's climbing up my body! It _hurts_! _IT HURTS_!

0000000000

I try to scream, but I get a mouthful of... something... something cold. It's stopping me from breathing. I feel a soothing cold moving around my body as I bolt upright, spitting out whatever it was in my mouth and gasping for air. My body is shaking... I grasp my chest on instinct to feel my heart rate, and it's off the charts...

"Lucas, are you alright! What happened!" That voice... Lyn? Is that Lyn's voice! I rub the foreign substance out of my eyes hurriedly and open them to see, and indeed, she is beside me wearing a panicked expression... but... wasn't she...

Then the reality hits me like that Falcon Punch from a while ago. It was another nightmare... of course, how could both my monster side and I be in the same place at the same time? And fire doesn't just collect around something... not without magical aid, at least... "I... I..." is the only reply I can give her. My mind is still racing... trying to calm myself down, I look at my surroundings... I'm sitting in a plain white bed, soaked with something... water? Yeah, I think its water... and I'm soaked in it too. "Why am I... soaked in water...?" I say in between breaths.

I look around the room to see if anyone else is there, as I'm sure Lyn wouldn't be mean enough to give me the ice-water treatment. And sure enough, Paula and Ness are in the room too... the latter is holding a metal bucket. "Uhh... th-this isn't what you think, I swear!" Ness stammers.

"Not what I... _how is this not what I think it is_!" I bellow at him, in no mood for his pranks. "I'm drenched in cold water and _you're_ holding the bucket!"

"But your sheets were on fire!" Paula interrupts. "You... set fire to the bed in your sleep, Lucas..."

My rage is put to an immediate halt while my eyes widen. I... performed PSI in my sleep? Again? Inspecting the sheets with more clarity of mind, I see that they are burned badly... about only three-quarters of the top sheet actually remains. I'm actually sitting on the uncovered mattress, also singed, because the bed sheets were burned away. And my... my shirt is in tatters, and my shorts are half-gone... also burned up to some extent. "Uh... o-oh, I... see..." I say, feeling sorry for yelling at Ness. He probably wasn't trying to wake me up, but instead trying to put out the fire... and now that I'm more awake, I can feel some fervent itching on my own body. I suffered some burns, too... in my human form I might add. It must be daytime. Parts of my skin are reddened and peeling off. I resist the urge to scratch them, I know it will only make them worse.

"You're lucky Lyn was in here to look after you." Paula continues, getting up on the bed and putting her hand on one of my burns... I wince at the sting, but then it goes away... she's using PK Healing on my burns. As she moves onto the next one, she says, "If she hadn't called for help, you might've been cooked alive..."

That's another save from Lyn... I must be such a burden to her. I can't help but feel guilty... I look at her with sorrow in my eyes, but she just smiles in response, as if saying it wasn't a problem. But I can't return the gesture this time... I let Paula do her work on me while I try to recollect my thoughts. "So... I'm guessing we're not at the manor anymore..." I assume, trying to recall the memories. This bedroom is awfully plain... a guest room that serves its purpose and nothing more, just a dresser and a mirror in here other than the bed I'm sitting on. I'm sure no room in the Smash Manor was this dull...

"Yeah... we're on the Halberd right now, parked at San Miguel. Paula felt you losing it again." Ness says. "I don't think I've ever seen her so terrified-" He is quickly interrupted by Paula elbowing him in the gut, coincidentally being at the right end of the bed at the time. "_Ow_! Girl, why you hit so _hard_!"

"I wasn't _that_ scared!" Paula defends herself, turning her attention to a burn on my back. A sizeable one judging from the painful prickly feeling. "But still... something wasn't right with you. I honestly couldn't tell what I was feeling from you... it was almost like there were _two_ of you. I don't know how else to put it." Two of me? How could there possibly be two of me? Unless...

"Lucas... didn't you say something like that about your nightmares the other night?" Lyn interjects. "How you were... talking to yourself in a mirror?"

I nod. "Yeah... I did... it kept saying it was me, looking like my monster form... saying it was my 'true self' or something..."

Paula moves away from me at this point and gets off of the bed, her healing done... she seems deep in thought. No, she _is_ deep in thought... I can clearly tell now that I'm back in human form, with access to my own PSI. "Oh dear... I think I might know what's happened." She says, shaking the red off of her face. "Your mental condition is getting even worse, Lucas..." My heart sinks as she says that. "I think you might be developing a case of 'split personality.'"

"Split personality?" Ness repeats, blinking. "You mean like Harvey Two-Face from Batman?" Batman... I think that's a comic book series Ness likes to read. But I could be wrong.

"Yeah, something like that..." Paula answers. "Even being a psychic prodigy, I'm not an expert on this stuff... but in everything I've read about mental problems, it goes something like this..." I give her my undivided attention as she starts to explain. "When someone starts losing his sanity, he either fights it or gives into it. People who fight it successfully regain themselves, and people who just give in change entirely... but sometimes there's a middle ground, where the struggle gets so intense, where the person refuses to quit but just can't win... sometimes it goes on forever, but other times his mindsets just... split apart from each other. Like two minds in the same body. It's really rare."

Two minds... unfortunately, I think I may understand what she's talking about. "Ugh... I think it might be exactly that..." I say. "When all of that crap was happening down below the manor, it was like I was arguing with myself whether or not to tough it out or wreck everything in sight... it ended with a splitting headache..." With this revelation, I glance over at Ness with gratitude. "Thanks for putting me out, Ness... there's no telling what I might've done if you didn't..." Having a second mind is like me not even being in control of my own thoughts and actions... just like Claus as the Masked Man... its a terrifying thought. It paints a sorrowful picture of why he might have used that lightning attack on me back in the battle for the final needle... is that why you did that to yourself, so no one could control you anymore?

The other boy psychic lets out a heavy sigh and replies, "Just don't make me do it on a regular basis. If I ever have to use PSI on you, I only want it to be in an exhibition match... not that we'll be having those anymore..."

A grim reminder of what happened down in the bunker. "Master Hand... he was our only lead... why did Claus do that to him?" I say with a groan... and that's when I remember. "Wait... Claus! Where is he now!" I demand.

"Don't worry, he's safe." Lyn informs me. "We took him with us before the manor came down..."

I should feel relieved at that... but really I don't know what to feel. It's a great weight off my shoulders to know that my brother is alright, but on the other hand, his purpose for even being here in the first place was to get rid of me... controlled just like before. Oh, Claus... actually having some insight into how he must feel now only deepens the mental scars. What if that happens to me...?

Then I process the second part of the sentence. "Wait, 'came down?'" I repeat.

"Uh... the manor is gone, Lucas..." Ness says... with some hesitation and uncertainty. "I... I think you should see what happened for yourself, Meta Knight recorded the footage." He then shakes his head. "Trust me, you have to see it to believe it. And even then you probably won't, I've seen it five times and still don't get it... even Jeff is stumped."

I groan. "Great... this _has_ to be good, then." I droll out sarcastically. Despite everything that's happened to me, they still want my help... I'm not sure how much I _can_ help anymore. Knowing that this other self in inside of me now, able to take control at any moment... I can't leave this matter unaddressed. But what can I _do_ about it? Nothing, at least not in the midst of all of this... maybe... maybe I should take Claus' way out of this, if things go horribly wrong. But I can't burden them with this! But... who else am I going to ask...?

I decide then that the best person is beside me right now. As much as I don't want to... I have to take precautions. As painful as it is to admit to myself, I'd sooner die myself than see my friends die around me, let alone be the cause. There might not be another way...

"Ness, Paula, can you leave for a minute?" I ask them as politely as I can manage. "I want to speak to Lyn alone..."

"Huh? Uhh... sure, okay." Ness says, apparently caught off guard by the question. He and Paula nod, and they exit the room and close the door behind them.

As should be expected, Lyn is confused by my request. "What's the matter, Lucas?" She asks.

The weight of what I need to ask her is almost crushing... I can't even bring myself to look at her. I can only stare down at my scorched clothing... "Lyn... I need a favour. A really big favour." She doesn't say anything, but I can tell I have her undivided attention. I raise my hands up to look at them... I can't stop them from shaking. "Every day, my mind is just getting worse and worse... I know you're all trying your best to help me, but... it just isn't working..."

"Lucas... I'm afraid I don't understand." Lyn says... sounding a bit concerned.

"Lyn, I-I... I don't think I'm ever going to fully recover from this..." I stammer. "It's gotten so bad that my mind has literally split in two, like another person inside my head... and despite my best efforts, I'm losing out to it... I think... it's only a matter of time before I lose myself completely..." She just stares at me, speechless and worried. I think she may have figured out what I'm going to ask. "Lyn... if that happens..." I gulp, hesitant to finally ask... but I don't have a choice. "I want you to stop me..."

"St... stop you...?" She whispers out, disbelieving. "N-no... Lucas, please think about what you're asking of me!" Her voice is pleading, desperate. "You're... you're my friend... you're my _best_ friend... I can't... I _won't_...!" She's so distraught all of the sudden... this isn't like her at all...

Thought so, the stupid girl just doesn't get it.

"_And what if I wind up killing YOU_!" I snap back at her, finally looking at her face. She jumps back in shock, and immediately I'm surprised at myself. That show of rage had came to me out of nowhere...her face is flushed red, and tears are lining the bottoms of her eyelids. I'm immediately sorry... I hadn't expected this to devastate her so much, so soon... but still...

But what? It's her own damn fault if she's too wimpy to do one simple thing I ask her.

I grip my head... damnit, where are these thoughts coming from! Is this what Paula was talking about, is this my split personality disorder at work? Even now, when I was reasonably calm... I can hear the voice in my head... there's no doubt in my mind now. This has to be done. "Lyn... I've thought hard about this. I don't want to die... but damnit, this isn't about me anymore!" I say, trying and failing to lower my voice and calm down. "What if I lose my mind around one of you...? What if... I... _I_..." I can't bring myself to finish the sentence, as tears are beginning to well up in my own eyes. "I don't want to hurt them... I don't want to hurt _you_... I... I _won't_..."

And so I'm just going to let her hurt me?

I grip my forehead tighter... no, I can't give in, not now. I'm only asking this of Lyn if this gets out of control. Until then, I'm going to try my absolute hardest to stay sane. But should I fail, I need her to do this... for everyone. I move my hand away so I can look at her again, and the tears have begun to stream down her face... I wish I hadn't made her cry, I really do. But in her eyes, I can also see understanding... some level of understanding of my problem. "I hope you know... I'm going to do everything within my power to save you before that..." she says, trying not to choke on any of her words.

I nod slowly. "I know... you know when you need to do things that have to be done. You don't hesitate. That's why you're the only person I can ask... so please, promise me..." I lace my fingers together in a pleading manner, like when someone prays. "If you can't save me... do whatever it takes to stop me... ,please, don't let me hurt another innocent soul..."

All she can do is look at me, hesitant to say anything... but after a tense moment, she slowly brings her arms around me in a warm hug, resting her chin on top of my head and nuzzling it into her chest. I can feel it again... my heartbeat quickening... it's infuriating, I feel like I should really know what this means, but... I just can't figure it out...

"I promise..."

Her agreement makes my heart beat even faster... "Thank you..." I say with gratitude, hugging her back.

For a while, all we do is sit there, as if it were the last moment we had together...

0000000000

It's fortunate that every Smasher and Assistant has their own room in the Halberd. It was decided, much to Meta Knight's chagrin if I recall, that we should have some of our necessities on the ship already so we don't have to worry about forgetting anything. Finding a new shirt was a simple as pulling one out of the dresser in the room. So now I'm back to my usual yellow and orange stripes. I also replaced the burned shorts.

After we winded ourselves down from the emotional moment we shared, Lyn and I went down to the common room. Ness, Paula and Jeff are there already, as is Snake... and one person I've never seen before, standing beside the mercenary. He is a plain-looking man only appearing a bit younger than Snake, wearing blue trousers and a white lab coat over a grey shirt that matches the colour of his short, dishevelled hair. He has some slight facial hair on his chin and wears a pair of simple, circular-rimmed glasses. He looks kind of... scrawny for a man his age. His eyes are fixated on the television set.

I joined Ness and Paula on an empty spot on their couch. Lyn preferred to stand, beside my end of the furniture. It had a good view of the television, which had a video on pause. It displayed the manor at night, swarming with that sea of Alloys... this was when we attacked. "We caught this with the Halberd's front camera. Didn't know Meta Knight even _had_ cameras on his ship..." he explained to me as he ran up to the television to start the video, before quickly jogging back to his seat.

Once everyone is out of the way, I turn my attention to the video. I'm noticing a lack of anything spectacular, though... the shifting metal sea on the ground of the manor is the only thing that catches my eye, that and the explosions ringing out through it. This is nothing but a war scene. "...What am I supposed to be looking at here?" I inquire.

"Watch, it's about to happen." Ness replies. And sure enough, something does break the monotony on the replay not a few seconds later: from the sky, a massive, black pillar of some sort crashes down into the roof of the manor. It reminds me a little of a scene from one of Ness' favourite movies... "Independence Day," I think it was called, except that beam was green and resulted in a massive explosion blowing fire out of every orifice in the building. The thing in this video must have been the black laser that nearly crushed the four of us plus Jeff, only its effects weren't as exaggerated; I can only barely see glass falling out of window panes with the small video resolution, but other than that the manor appeared to be pretty much intact. But it was indeed powerful, because the video feed becomes static for a few seconds after the laser hits. When the feed is restored, the laser is gone.

From this point forward I give the video more attention, since anything after this point will have been during my hypnosis. The camera is slowly panning upwards from the manor... perhaps in search of the source of that massive laser blast? For a few seconds there is nothing but clouds moving downwards on the screen, but when the camera catches something...

"What in the world...?" Not just I, but also Lyn say just loud enough to be heard. Through a rather sizeable hole in the clouds, likely made by the laser, that laser's source is visible in the skies above. Or at least its outline... from such a distance it's difficult to make anything out. On the video, it appears only as a silhouette... but whatever it is, it's _big_. The only distinguishing feature I can make out are wings... two absolutely _massive_ wings that have to be at least twice the size of the thing that they are attached to. More noticeable is the dark-purple outline that is along the edges of the figure...

Then, a flash of white light. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it occurance from the huge thing in the sky that whitens out the camera for a split second, and when visuals return, its shape has changed. I can tell now that it has arms and legs... no, claws actually. And a very _long_ neck, with a head that was certainly not human...

"Is that... a dragon?" Lyn asks. A dragon? Odd that she would suggest that out of the blue, but now that I think about it... it does seem to have the bodily outline of a classic, mythical dragon. But because it's so high in the sky, I can't tell anything other than that. One thing I am gradually beginning to notice though is that the shape is starting to get bigger... "And is it _falling_!"

"It gets even weirder. Check out around it." Ness says. Attention off of the dragon-shape for now, I notice that black objects are rising through the clouds and headed straight for it. "Those black things coming up are chunks of _land_."

"_Land_!" I exclaim in disbelief, looking at him. "You mean our _yard_ flew up into that... _thing_!"

"Well, not our yard..." he replies. "More like the mountain ranges and other things around our yard." I look back to the video, to see that the land is quickly clumping and packing around the dragon-shaped thing... and more importantly that its descent is not stopping. Then, the camera starts to pan away from the thing, and away from the manor. Then the video cuts out entirely. Ness addresses the issue before I can say anything. "That was all we needed to see before we got out of there... that thing, whatever it was, got encased in all of that land and... _fell_ on the manor."

All I can do is stare at the now-blank screen in awe as I process everything I've just learned. A mysterious, _huge_ attacker from way up in the sky, the land developing a mind of its own and trying to trap the intruder, and then falling right on our home... "Everyone made it out... right...? _Right_!" I ask pleadingly, worried for the safety of the dozens of Smashers, Assistants and other staff at the manor. If any of them were hurt because of me...

"Oh, yeah, we had plenty of time before it landed." Ness reassures me. "Don't worry, no one got left behind. But Meta Knight went back to check what became of it, and... well, there's nothing left. Our home is gone..." My head falls to my feet as I realize that. "He was really creeped out when he got back... he said it was like... the world was dead, or something like that..."

Meta Knight? Creeped out? Those were words people didn't usually use in the same subject. But seeing the aftermath of what had to equal the impact of a meteor the size of a large island... it's not that big of a surprise that no life would survive something like that. But for something like this actually _happen_... Ness was right, I've seen this and still don't completely believe it. "Understandably, no one is willing to go back there and see for themselves." intruded Snake. "So now, we have no leads and no idea where to go from here... I'm afraid we're at a dead end."

This was news I was definitely not happy to hear... I can't help the whimper that escapes my throat as I shake my head in frustration and despair. "We were so close... Master Hand was _right there_, we had him _cornered_..." I sob. I feel something touching my shoulder... I don't need to look up to know that it's Lyn's hand, trying to comfort me. But it does little to ease my heavy heart. "Why... why did it have to happen then, of all times... and _who_...?"

"We really don't know..." Snake answers. "It could've been Shadow, just trying to make our lives miserable like usual. Or it could've been a last-ditch effort from Master Hand to stop us, or even that weird 'third party' that wants you dead, since that cyborg boy showed up..." He sighs with frustration. "They're all possible suspects, and we have nothing to tell us which one."

"Wait... that might not be true." Ness says. "We might have _one_ person here who can tell us that, but... I'm in no hurry to wake him up, if you know what I mean..."

Since it's clear that neither the Smashers, nor Philanthropy, nor the Meta Knights have the slightest clue what's going on, that only leaves one person within our midst who may have any firsthand knowledge on what happened: Claus. "Where is Claus now...?" I ask. Not just because he could be our only link to the truth, but also because I'm worried for him...

"In the medical ward, restrained to the bed just to be safe." Jeff tells me, walking up to the back of the couch. I look up at him, and through his glasses I can see disdain in his eyes... "That sudden electrical discharge he had back at the manor did a number on him, though... nearly all of his mechanical systems are shorted out, but according to Dr. Mario he's just unconscious right now..."

So only the cyborg parts of Claus' body took any significant damage? I'm not sure whether to feel overjoyed or terrified that he's relatively alright... "I hate to say it Lucas, but waking your brother up could be a really bad idea..." Ness says, trying to sound sympathetic. I know it's fake though, because from everything he's told me, his family was never in mortal peril. "Even if he _does_ know anything, he could blow us all away as soon as he comes to."

Unfortunately, Ness was absolutely right. PK Psycho-Shield or PK Psycho-Counter doesn't stop lightning, and his PK Love... the glimmer of hope I have quickly disappears when I recall one of his abilities, called the "Shield Killer." He just cuts through and destroys any form of shield or barrier with his sword. I then remember that I told Ness and Paula to use their Psycho-Shields to stop his PK Love, during my panic down in the manor's bunker... that would've been a fatal mistake. We were lucky he turned the attack on Master Hand instead. I decide not to inform them of that misstep, and then ask the obvious question. "Then what else can we do now...?"

"I might be able to help..." Paula says, catching my attention and everyone else's in the room. "I'm able to use telepathy. If we can't wake Claus up, then I _might_ be able to look into his mind while he's unconscious..."

Telepathy to the sleeping...? "Paula... is that really possible?" I ask her.

"It certainly is." Paula replies. "It's like looking up files on a computer... well, kind of. And people who are asleep or unconscious, even psychics, don't usually have much mental defense. If he knows anything, I just might be able to find out."

"Whoa, wait, wait." Ness interrupts. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Paula? I mean, Claus was being controlled by some outside force..."

Sure, Ness, blow away our only hope in getting anywhere...

I try my best to ignore the voice in my head. "I know..." Paula says, a bit angry at Ness for pointing out this apparent danger. "But have you got any better ideas?"

Ness only stares at her, his mind frantically trying to conjure up an alternative, but he eventually shakes his head and says, "No..." in defeat.

"But..." Paula continues. "Ness has a point. Even I don't know what might happen, so I won't do this to your brother if you don't want me to. It's your choice, Lucas." As much as I don't want to endanger my friends with yet another personal problem, or violate Claus' fleeting privacy, there really are no other paths before us. The simple truth is that we're now too involved in this case to just leave it here, and right now our only hope in proceeding lies in his unconscious mind. But even so, I don't want to just leave this to her alone.

"Only if I'm there when you do it."

0000000000

Fast-forward to the medical ward, which is pretty much a compact version of the manor's medical facilities. Its half bedroom filled with medicines, drugs and surgical tools, and half Restoration Tube room; there are two vats here. Claus is tightly restrained to one of the plain, white beds with thick metal braces on his arms, legs and a smaller one around his neck. And these braces are much larger than what I usually see, they would probably easily restrain the likes of Bowser and Donkey Kong. As for Claus himself, he doesn't look so great. His face looks almost pristine except for his open, drooling mouth... that was how he usually looked when sleeping. But the rest of his body is not so well off, with clothing and skin half-burned off. Underneath that skin, I do not see any flesh and bone like that of a normal human being, but metal and wires respectively charred and frayed. I find myself looking all over him in search of a spot on his body that actually _is_ flesh, but I'm not having any luck. It feels like my heart is bleeding at the sight of him... but at the same time skipping beats in fear. Even in this state, he could potentially wake up and kill us all easily, at any moment...

Mario was in the room in his doctor's outfit, which is basically a white lab coat and white pants, blue surgical gloves and a heartbeat listener... _thing_ – I don't know the technical name – worn on his head like a headband. Unable to do anything for Claus at the moment, he lets Paula and I through. The rest of us – everyone who was in the common room, including that strange man – respectfully stand back at the entrance. Paula pulls up a chair to the left side of Claus' bed, while I sit at the right, making sure not to be in the firing line of his arm cannon. I can feel Ness preparing his PSI at the other end of the room, ready to defend Paula and I at a moment's notice.

"Alright, first things first..." Paula begins. "I'm going to make sure that whatever was controlling him isn't still _in_ control. Because I'm not too eager to try this if that's the case."

After she says this, I can feel Ness' mental powers doubling in concentration. I don't blame him. Paula lifts a dainty right hand and slowly places it on the forehead of my brother, and closes her eyes. Her mental energies almost spike then, and I gulp in anticipation and concern. After a tense few seconds, she smiles slightly and opens her eyes to look at me.

"I can definitely feel something... something is trying really, _really_ hard to maintain control over him, something very strong... but it has no access while he's unconscious." She explains. "That's good. As long as he stays asleep, I shouldn't have any trouble."

A let out a huge sigh of relief; it's good to know that, even unconscious, my brother has some peace of mind... he's better off than _me_ at least. "Please, do whatever you have to do quickly. I don't want to put you in any more danger than I have to." I reply.

She nods and says, "I promise, it will only take a minute or two." And then her eyes close again. This time, they do not open immediately, but I can tell that she is concentrating deeply... almost like she's in a trance. Now there's nothing to do but wait.

"Ugh... all this psychic stuff is creepy." I don't recognize that voice, but it came from that man... he's trying to whisper, but in the silence of the room I can just barely tell what he's saying. "I've never been able to look at psychics or fortune tellers the same way since Psycho Mantis, not even in my animés..."

"These psychics are good people, Otacon." Snake whispers back. "I've fought alongside them, and from what I've seen they've only used their powers to help people, not control them like he did. Lucas is only as messed up as he is because of the guy we're trying to hunt down."

Otacon... so _that's_ who that man is! In most of his missions, and sometimes even in his exhibition matches, Snake has the help of three Philanthropy operatives to give him information. The Smashers only know them Mei Ling, "Colonel" and Otacon. The lattermost was a scientist that designed some kind of war mech called "Metal Gear," and apparently has some obsession with Japanese cartoons, hence his name... not that I know what it means, I never thought to ask. Well, at least now I know who he is... this is the first time I've ever _seen_ any of Snake's comrades. He's probably only here because Philanthropy is...

I get back to the subject at hand when I sense Paula relaxing her mind, and look back to her. Her expression is one of puzzlement. "I'm talking to him..."

My eyes widen. "_Talking_ to him?" I repeat.

"It's very strange... his body and mind are completely separate from each other." Paula explains. "He's literally been shut out from his body... but his mind has still been conscious through it all. I can talk to him through our mental link... direct mental communication is a lot faster than actual talking. I've already explained the situation to him... he says he's been really lonely... and that he's been worried sick about you, Lucas..."

I can hardly believe it... Paula actually _spoke_ to Claus within his mind... that was better than I could've ever expected. "Can you tell him I'm here? That I'm beside him right now?"

She smiles broadly at me and replies, "If your mind is stable enough, you can tell him yourself. I'm amazed at how stable _his_ mind is... I could send you in if you wanted."

Unbelieveable... I have a chance to actually talk to my brother again, face to face? It's hardly worth asking the question. "Please... do it!"

She nods and says, "Close your eyes..." I do as instructed, and I can feel her hand touch my forehead. In that instant, I feel my head spinning... it's like my head is getting so light that it's floating away from my body...

0000000000

When I start to regain the feeling in my body again, I open my eyes as fast as I can... but it's like I didn't open them at all. I see nothing but black, all around me in every direction... is this the inside of an unconscious mind? Am I in Claus' mind? I decide the best way to find out is the call out to him. "Claus! Are you in here!" I yell out into the darkness.

"Lucas...?"

I spin on the heel of my shoe as fast as my body can, towards the source of the voice. And there he is, not even three feet away from me. Looking almost like a mirror image of me, wearing a t-shirt of blue and yellow stripes and denim shorts that match my own completely. Green eyes instead of blue, and orange hair done up into a spike instead of my swirl... with a gradually-widening grin on his face.

"It is you, Lucas!"

"Claus!"

My body practically moves by itself, running towards him as he runs towards me. We run up to each other and hug each other, trying to see if this is real or not. At least he _feels_ real enough. And I can feel his mind... it's not distorted at all, not controlled at all. There is no doubt in my mind. This is definitely my brother. "Oh my God, Lucas, it's been so long... how are you doing, bro? Are you alright?"

"Ahh... m-more or less..." I reply, not sure how to respond to the question. Not just because it's a shock to see my brother again after so long, but because of my mental condition...

"More or less. Don't worry, what's-her-name told me everything already." Claus tells me, and I sigh with relief in that I don't have to explain anything. We break the hug, and I look at him in the eyes... there's a definite struggle between both happiness and sorrow. "I wish this reunion was timed better..."

"So do I... so do I..." I agree. Regrettably, there was no time to get caught up on past events. There was no indication of how much time we would have. "We need your help, Claus."

"Like I said, she told me." The discussion turns serious then. "I'm sure I know what you're going to ask... but go ahead anyway."

I breathe out of my nose and calm myself down. There was only one question I could think to ask right now. "Who's doing this to you, Claus? Who disturbed your rest and took control of you?"

"You're not going to believe it." he says. "It's the Dark Dragon."

I blink. "What...?"

"Seriously, I'm not making this up." He assures me. "The one messing with my body is the Dragon of Darkness we woke up."

My emotions change from raw disbelief to unbridled rage. The Dragon of Darkness... the dragon that was sleeping under my old home, that was supposed to reset the world when I woke it up with my pure-at-the-time heart... _that's_ the one responsible for this! I can't stop myself from growling or my fists from shaking. The beast I woke up from its forced slumber at Nowhere Island, the one that was supposed to save us all, was the mysterious third trying to _kill me_! Suddenly most of that – excuse my language here – _bullshit_ happening at the manor made sense. "The Dragon... of course..." I mutter, loud enough for Claus to hear. "That thing in the sky that blasted the manor looked like a dragon..."

"Sounds like you already figured it out." Claus said. "When the kid with the red cap blasted my body back with the Franklin Badge, the Dragon got nervous and tried blasting you itself. And _damn_, I was worrying my head off! I didn't think it could _miss_!"

Now that I know the cause of that laser blast, I'm a bit surprised myself. "I know... I was lucky. I'm not sure how, but I felt it coming in my demonic form..."

"Geez... and everyone says black magic causes nothing but trouble. Sounds like it saved your life." Claus jokes... though he is a bit surprised too. Then he starts rubbing the back of his head with his right hand and continues, "But I don't know what happened after that... I saw the blast come down, and everything went black..."

Huh... looks like I have to fill in a few blanks for my brother, too. "Yeah... we're not sure what happened either." I say. "A bunch of land just broke off, rose up, encased the Dragon and then _dropped_ it on the manor."

He stares at me. "..._What_."

"Honest to goodness, I'm not joking." I reply quickly, making a "cross my heart" motion with my hand. "I was hoping you could shed some light on that, too."

"..._Huh_." Claus breathes out, removing his hand from his head and putting it on his chin. "I'm... not sure what to say about that, actually... but I'm fairly sure that _wasn't_ the Dragon's doing, if that's what you're thinking; wouldn't it make more sense to just pack the land together and drop it instead of putting it all over itself?"

Actually, the Dragon manipulating the land hadn't crossed my mind before, even though it might have made some kind of sense... a dragon with the power to reset the world is definitely not just another creature, so it might be possible. But I quickly see Claus' point; hell, if it could manipulate land like _that_, then it might as well have ripped the entirety of Master Hand's world apart. It certainly didn't seem to care about what happened to the others present. "Then what the hell happened?"

Claus simply shrugged in response and said, "Search me, bro. All I know is that the fall weakened it's power over me, but it's definitely not dead... I can feel it trying to get into my mind..."

"Yeah... Paula told me something like that." I say sadly, making it all too obvious that I'm sorry for him.

"Don't worry, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal." Claus says, suddenly chipper. "It looks like it can't do anything to me while my body is out cold, so all you need to do is make sure I don't wake up! Simple, right?"

For a minute, all I can do is stare at my brother incredulously. "You... don't mind staying this way?"

"Eh, well..." Claus trails off, but he quickly recovers. "It's true, I'd like to have my body back to myself again... but it's not worth it if I'm just going to hurt people. And besides..." His grin suddenly turns sinister. "If the Dragon gets pissed off because it, then I can wait a _long_ time..."

I can't help but smile at his antics; don't get mad, get even. That's my brother alright. "Deep down, you're still the same old Claus..." I chuckle.

His reply is a cackle. "Forever and always!" He proclaims, placing his hands on his hips and trying to strike a superior pose. "Ain't no way that Dragon is getting the best of me!"

"Heh... me neither." I say, feeling pepped up by Claus' courage. "You know... talking with you here, now... it kind've makes me feel like everything I've been through was worth it."

"Heh..." Claus rubs under his nose. "Don't stop until you see things through to the end. That's the way we do things, right?"

"Call it stupid if you want, but you'll never find the truth if you quit." I say... and as I do, I feel a bit of nostalgia. I remember when we were younger, before we were thrust out into our adventures... that was our philosophy on life. And we'd said it ourselves, in those exact words. "I remember that... and I've never forgotten it. That and the support of my friends are the only things that got me this far."

"That'a boy." Claus says. "Looks like my bro is all grown up." I blush and smile sheepishly... I don't honestly think I've grown _that_ much... "Anything else you want to ask me? It's probably bad for you to spend all day in here."

Unfortunately, Claus is right... I may be feeling alright now, but I'd rather not take my chances. "Yeah, you're right... can I ask you one last thing then?"

"Go right ahead."

I'm not sure if he'll know anything about this, but... it's worth a shot. "When the Dragon was controlling you, it... well, it vaporized Master Hand, saying something about 'protecting secrets...'" I inform him. "Do you have any idea what that could mean?"

"Ahh... all it ever said to me was 'Lucas must die, he can't be allowed to fall into Shadow's hands,' or some crap like that. Next thing I know, I'm stuck in here, watching the damn thing strut around in my body." He explains. "I'm drawing a blank here. Sorry, bro."

"No... it's alright." I say, trying not to sound disappointed... which isn't that hard. In fact, I'm actually getting a little excited since I know what this will mean. "It just means I'll have to have a little 'chat' with it."

He slowly nods and smiles with an understanding. "Just be careful, Lucas. And smack that son of a bitch once for me."

"Oh, I will." I tell him. "And once more for everyone in Tazmily."

0000000000

Then, with no transition effect other than a sudden wave of dizziness, I am back in the medical ward. I'm no longer staring at my brother, but at Paula's curious face. I try to shake the disorientation out of my head... "How was it? Are you feeling alright?" she asks me, concerned.

"I'm okay, just a little dizzy." I tell her. In fact, I'm feeling ecstatic right now. I suppose that's to be expected after talking to a family member who was supposed to be dead, and seemed to be in good health, only _not_ trying to kill me this time. And on top of that, I finally know who dared to disturbed my brother's rest.

Paula blinks at me from across my brother's unconscious body... although it might not be accurate to call it _his_ body anymore. That's a problem I'm going to have to correct. "...Why are you smiling?" She asks me.

I happily answer her. "Because Claus just solved our dead end problem for us."

0000000000

It was quite a bit of explaining I had to do before the situation was made clear to everyone, not just to the people in the medical wing with me, but to everyone present on the Halberd. I could tell that for most of the people, learning that our next opponent in this crazy adventure I'd unwittingly thrust them into was a Dragon of Darkness the size of a small continent with mind-controlling powers... it didn't fill them with a great deal of confidence. But to my utter amazement, no one here was truly deterred; in fact they all had reasons for wanting to stand against the Dragon. Most wanted revenge for what it did to their home, others were curious as to why it would go so far as to destroy Master Hand and endanger so many worlds, and me... including the previous motivations, I wanted to know why it wanted me dead. This Dragon, that I resurrected so that it would turn my world into a paradise... why is it doing the exact opposite and trying to eradicate every last shred of life from it instead? The restoration of my world was all that I wished for... I know that for sure. I had made sure my conscience was clear of any ill will before I pulled the last of the seven needles. So... _why_?

I am going to find the truth. I don't care if my opponent is Master Hand, or the Dragon, or Shadow or whoever the hell else. I'll go through every last one of them and discover the truth!

And so, the Halberd is abuzz with battle preparations once again. Repairs weren't an issue, since the only weapons fired upon it during the battle with the Alloys were scorch marks and dents. Any damage was cosmetic, and Meta Knight was confident that his pride and joy would be good for another skirmish within the hour. I felt none of the fear that Ness said he'd experienced, but instead a renewed confidence from the Kirby-like swordsman. It didn't seem to matter to him that his enemy was a Dragon... I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Meta Knight seeks to fight the strongest beings he can find, so this situation must be as exciting to him as it is to me.

During the wait, Smashers and Assistants who had apparently faced off against dragons in the past had seen fit to throw in their two cents. Gathered comfortably in the common room, they shared their stories. The least surprising tales were from Samus about her arch-nemesis Ridley, a "Space Dragon" that seemed to come back to life either physically or through robotics no matter how many times she got rid of it. Another story was from an Assistant named Issac, an orange-haired, teenage swordsman wearing mostly yellow and black clothing. In exhibition matches, he uses his magic – which he calls "Synergy" – to fire off a series of giant hands to push people off of the arena. In his adventures, he apparently had to fight dragons formed through the use of this Synergy. He was hesitant to reveal anything else, though. Even the unassuming Mario had faced off against dragons before, three on the same adventure. And the most surprising story to me was that Lyn, the Sacean woman who once helped to lead an army in a time of war, had slain a dragon of fire. All of these people offered the same wisdom: when fighting dragons, aim for the head.

The prospect of the Dragon we may soon have to confront, despite the blatantly obvious size advantage it had over the others that they described, didn't frighten them. If this problem does turn violent – and it probably will considering the Dragon's motive – everyone was willing to fight on, despite that this would be unlike any challenge the Smashers had ever faced before. It was really awe-inspiring... even if I was thrust into Master Hand's world against my will, I don't regret having become one of these people.

By the time the story-telling came to an end, preparations were complete. All the Smashers were ready, the Meta Knights were determined to fight and fall alongside their master, and most surprisingly, Snake's Philanthropy group had decided to stay and fight as well. Meta Knight had invited me to the bridge to join him, though he didn't tell me why. I brought Lyn, Ness and Paula with me. Sabata was also on the bridge already.

"Wow... I don't think I've ever been up here before..." I say as I take in the sights. Despite the Halberd's elegant design, the bridge actually seems quite simple. The colour scheme is the same as the common room. The entire room is flat, with the exception of five control panels risen out of the floor; two in the centre, two wider ones at the front and at the end, and one with a basic naval steering wheel in the middle of all of them. To put it into perspective, if you drew a line to each, you would make an "M" shape. I'm not sure whether this was intentional or not... these terminals are manned attentively by Meta Knights, with their leader standing in the middle of the bridge along with Sabata. The viewing window for the bridge is, I _think_, the visor of the giant mask decoration on the front of the ship.

"Ness, don't touch anything." Paula says quickly.

"I wasn't going to!" he quickly defends himself, but I can hear him mutter in discontent afterward.

"Lucas, welcome to the bridge." Meta Knight greeted me after turning to face me.

"Umm... th-thank you." I reply, caught a little off guard by his sudden show of manners. "It's not every day you invite people up here, I think..."

"I figured it was necessary." He says. "This is your fight most of all, so I thought you should be here for it."

I nod in reply... I'm glad somebody realizes that this situation is most important to me. "And what about you, Sabata?" I address him. "Aren't you staying in San Miguel?"

He shrugs and replies, "Not until I've seen this 'Dragon' for myself. And besides, if it's a creature of darkness like its title says, you'll need my help."

Drawing his power from darkness himself, I suppose there was no one here more qualified than Sabata to help us out. Well... the only other person I can think of is Ganondorf, a Smasher and nemesis of Link and Princess Zelda. From their world, he is called the "King of Evil," which makes me wonder how he became a Smasher... but there's no one better for dealing with dark magic, since he employs it himself. But he was away on a mission since before I had first ran away from the manor, to see what became of my old home, and hasn't returned since... now that I think of it, so was Red; he's a Pokémon Trainer. In his world, while some Pokémon roam in the wild and are independent like Mewtwo, some are captured by Pokémon Trainers and used in battle. That's how Red fights, by using his trusting Pokémon. We became great friends during the Subspace incident... it would probably break his heart to learn what I've been going through. Since the manor is destroyed and the transportation system along with it, we'll have to find both Red and Ganondorf eventually...

But I'm straying off topic. "I'm glad you're here to help." I thank him.

He nods and says, "Django said hello, too. He wishes he could come too, but he's still recovering..."

"No, that's totally alright." I say. "Besides, I'm sure with everyone still here, we'll be ready for anything the Dragon throws at us."

"Sir Meta Knight!" The shout of one of the Meta Knights interrupts the conversation. "All systems are at 100% We're ready to open the interdimensional wormhole at your command!"

Everyone is at attention when they hear that update. There would be no turning back after we crossed between worlds... Meta Knight turns to me and says, "Are you ready?"

My response is simple and quick: "Yes, I am." But what about the others? I turn to them and ask, "Are you guys ready?"

"Always." Lyn says, nodding with a smile.

"A date with an island-sized Dragon? Sounds like a great day to me!" Ness exclaims with a cheesy grin.

"If Ness is going, then so am I." Paula says.

I looked at Meta Knight, and he grunted in approval. "Everyone on board was given the order to leave and stay in San Miguel if they didn't want to join this fight, and no one did as far as I know. It seems everyone is willing to help us." He turns to face out the window. "So let's not keep them waiting. Prepare the wormhole!"

"Yes, Sir Meta Knight!" his armoured soldiers reply in unison.

Not even a moment later, sparks and crackles of white electricity began to fly in front of the window, coming from either corner of it, or at least that's what I could see of it. Truthfully I didn't know exactly how the Halberd crossed between dimensions, but I begin to see when the unnatural lightning begins to collect in a spot directly in front of us, starting to rotate counter-clockwise like a tornado on its side. There was nowhere to go but onward now. Claus... Mom... Dad... and everyone in Tazmily... I'm going to avenge you now. I'm going to find the truth about why you all had to die because of a being that was supposed to _save_ us all...

"Sir Meta Knight, time-space event detected off to starboard!" Wails one of the knights.

"Pardon?" he replies.

Then, everything is dark in the bridge. The control panel lights and the ceiling have completely turned off, accompanied by a hum gradually lowering in pitch... like something was powering down. The only source of illumination is the white vortex outside which, without its energy source from the Halberd, quickly dissipates and is replaced by the orange, setting sun. Then, as quickly as it happened, all of the lights turn back on and the hum goes back to a higher pitch.

"Uhh... that's normal, right?" Ness asks slowly. "..._Right_?"

"Report!" Meta Knight demands.

All of the armoured, miniature soldiers are typing frantically at their control panels. "I-I don't know what's happened! The system has completely locked me out!"

"Me too!" "My buttons aren't working either!" "What trickery is this!"

A deep growl from Meta Knight shows that he does not approve of this situation. "What the devil just happened?"

Great, of course this would happen just before we get underway... can't these people do _anything_ right?

Again, I ignore the voice as best as I can.

Then, a noise forces its way through all of the panicked yelling of the Meta Knights. It sounds like... static, very loud static. I try to trace where it's coming from, and it turns out to be two large speakers on either side of the bridge's ceiling. Then a click is heard, and then... an insane cackling that I've grown all too familiar with.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_! Slam on the breaks, Meta Knight, it's time for an _intervention_!"

That... _voice_... not him... not _now_! My head jerks up as I see something noisily pushing out of the ceiling... I only need one glance at it to see that it's a large television screen. "What is the meaning of this? Who activated the main viewer!" Meta Knight roared.

"It wasn't me, I can't do _anything_ from here!" replied one of his Meta Knights. All of them repeated things along the same lines.

"Sorry to crash the party-to-be... but I'm afraid you have more urgent matters to attend to first." The main viewer fully extended from the ceiling, and an image flickered into existence on its screen. The face of the one who thrust me into this crazy journey in the first place. "You look well, Lucas..."

Rage. Pure rage, that's the only thing I could possibly be feeling right now. "_Shadow_..." I say his name through gritted teeth. Why... why him, _why now_? He couldn't have picked a worse time to start screwing things up!

"Oh man, not _this_ guy again!" Ness whined.

"So... that's the one... the one who drove Lucas to madness..." Lyn says, a deep anger evident in her otherwise docile voice.

"That little punk? _That's_ the Eternal you guys were fussing over?" Sabata said, not quite convinced.

"That's right, Dark Boy." Shadow confirms for him, sporting his trademark, face-splitting grin. "You should be thankful for even _seeing_ my face, because if Eggman Nega had done his job right back at San Miguel, you'd be dead right now..."

Sabata was now as angry as the rest of us. "Why you...!" he seethes, his fist shaking.

"What trickery is this! Return control of my ship this instant!" Meta Knight demanded.

"No can do, my ball-shaped friend." Shadow replies with a sneer. "I'm afraid I have to postpone your date with the Dragon of Darkness indefinitely... though it's not like I have anything _against_ you going back there, it's just that now that both it and Master Hand are out of commission, I have to advance my plans." he explains. "I _could_ wait until you're done with it of course – or until it's done with you, rather – but... I don't like to be kept waiting when there's no reason to be. Plus I was bored and hijacking your ride was fun."

"Pompous knave!" Meta Knight insulted him.

"Shadow, what the _hell_ do you want?" I say to him. "I am _not_ in the mood for your bullshit right now."

He puts his hands up to his chest, like a fangirl making that irritating "Squee!" noise. "Ooh, _you've_ developed quite an attitude!" he says, before chuckling again and lowering his arms. "Guess I'll have to adjust it then... you'll change your tune when you see what I picked up the other day..." He moves out of view... there's something, no, _someone_ behind him, flailing around in a black space...

"_Princia_!" I scream in horror. Her hairstyle is nonexistent at the moment, but I can tell that it is indeed her. She's being suspended in the air by nothing but a large chain tying her wrists together, and her mouth is gagged with... it looks like a golf ball. As I shout her name, she stops struggling and looks in my direction. She tries to say something, I think it's my name, but I can't tell clearly because of the gag.

Shadow quickly steps back into view, blocking my view of her. "Now that I've got your attention..." There's nothing I can say in response, other than growl at him like a tiger eager for its next meal. "You can't see it with the camera angle, but your dear Princess is suspended over a vat or broiling, molten lead. Think of what happens when some moron sticks his hand in a deep fryer... molten lead is at least twice as bad." His mad grin returns. "So unless you want your friend to become a pile of bubbling goo, you'll do as I say."

"You... _blackheart_..." Lyn gasps, at a definite loss for words.

"...What do you want..." I say, trying to contain both my rage and my concern for Princia. The Dragon will have to wait... I can't leave her with him! "Just tell me what you want!"

"He he he! Thought you'd see things my way." Shadow cackles. "First, I want you to clear off _everyone_ who isn't a Smasher or Assistant, and make sure your whole dead organization is on board. That means no Philanthropy, no Meta Knights, and no Paula. _Yes_, I can see you hiding behind your boyfriend."

I look back to see that, indeed, Paula is hiding behind Ness. Their response to this term is a scowl.

"Second, I've left some coordinates in the Halberd's transportation system. Once only you guys are on board, you'll follow those coordinates. And make _damn_ sure everyone is where they should be, because I _will_ know if you have any stowaways or if anyone is missing. And lastly, once you arrive, you're to drop off Lucas and Lyndis and _only_ Lucas and Lyndis at my doorstep; you'll see where. You're allowed to take off after that, but you can't actually leave the world or stray too far." he finishes explaining, and then grins wickedly. "Break even one condition in the _slightest_ way, and Princia will die."

"M-_me_?" Lyn stammers, as confused as I am about why _she_ would be asked to come along with me. I had a distinct feeling I'd be going, but her too? "Why _me_?"

"You'll find out~" Shadow replies in a singsong voice, before suddenly turning serious. "And don't dawdle! You've only got one hour to show up here. Throw your excess weight out the windows and drag your former comrades on board kicking and screaming if you have to, just _get here on time_! I know a few unsavoury beings who would enjoy human soup..."

He grins again, and then the video feed cuts out. The lights flicker for a quick second, and the Meta Knights attend to their control panels. "Control has been restored..." one of them says, without the vigor from before. No one else speaks, too shocked by the sudden turn of events. The small knight turns to his leader and asks, "Your orders, Sir Meta Knight...?"

Evidently at a loss for what to do, he turns to me as if asking me. As much as I wanted to go back to Master Hand's world and find out the truth... I can't just leave her.

I say, with much regret, "Do as he said..."

* * *

**A/N:** Shadow's begun his big play... but I promise you, shit has only begun to hit the fan. I promised you over the next two chapters everything would be made clear, and that has not changed. You don't want to miss it... and then, you'll see just how terrible the villain really is...

Read and review, ladies and gents!


	27. Chapter 25: Truth

**A/N:** And now, the long-awaited chapter where all of Lucas' recent hardships are explained.

But first, something I should point out: I'd forgotten to put something in the previous chapter involving one of Shadow's conditions stating that only Smashers and Assistants could be on board the Halberd. He was also supposed to say that _all_ of the Smashers and Assistants _had_ to be on board. I fixed this hurriedly for anyone who read the chapter the moment I posted it. Darn, I'm slipping…

And with that out of the way, enjoy Chapter 25!

* * *

Chapter 25: Truth

_WHAM_! My PSI-enhanced fist strikes into the nearest metal wall I have access to, the new dent formed in it equaling the size of that fist, but nowhere near demonstrating the sheer amounts of _anger_ I'm feeling right now.

_I'm afraid I have to postpone your date with the Dragon of Darkness indefinitely... though it's not like I have anything against you going back there, it's just that now that both it and Master Hand are out of commission, I have to advance my plans. I _could_ wait until you're done with it of course – or until it's done with you, rather – but... I don't like to be kept waiting when there's no reason for me to. Plus I was bored and hijacking your ride was fun._

I shake the pain out of my knuckles… of all the stupid reasons! And he just treats it like a game! "That despicable man has no sympathy for what the Super Smash Brothers Organization went through over the past day, he just takes advantage of our problems and _laughs_ the whole time!" I complain aloud. I turn my head to the Sacean sitting on the edge of my bed, looking more and more concerned about me. Perhaps she's right to be, but conversely _my_ worries are about _her_. "And why _you_? What could Shadow _possibly_ want with you?"

Her eyes narrow in thought, trying to come up with a suitable answer for me, but then she shakes her head and replies, "I wish I knew… I've never met that man before." She looks my squarely in the eye. "But judging from how downright cruel he is, we're heading into a trap."

And that was the only thing any of the people on board knew for sure. Having _all_ the Smashers and Assistants on board, and no one else? Being made to go to the meeting place as quickly as possible? _Just_ me and Lyn to be dropped off? Even a two-year-old could tell that, with stipulations like these, we were dashing headfirst into that madman's trap. But that was the only thing we knew for sure… I had no idea just what would await Lyn and I when we arrived, or what would happen those aboard the Halberd while we're gone.

No one on the Halberd was taking this much better than us; from the hectic landing to get Philanthropy and the Meta Knights off the ship, to the present time where the ship was flying through the interdimensional wormhole to an as-of-yet unknown location, everyone was in an uproar. The sudden change of objectives made the likes of Wolf and Bowser want to murder something, Meta Knight was still fuming that someone had so easily taken control of and disabled his ship, and Ness and Paula were just plain _irate_ that the lattermost had to be left behind. We were totally prepared to go and confront the Dragon of Darkness and discover the truth behind everything, only to be stopped dead in our tracks because of that _monster_! _Why_ does this always happen when the answers I want are literally moments away?

Because everything is out to get me.

Shut up, you stupid split personality!

"Lucas, please, calm down." Lyn says firmly. "No matter what the situation is, you won't be ready for it if you're angry."

I let out a heavy sigh, knowing that she's absolutely right. Shadow was a heartless, manipulative, _cruel_ son of a bitch. Going into any confrontation with him angry would not end well for anyone but him. "I know, but… he's practically got us eating out of his hand! We're going to be all alone with him, and the other Smashers and Assistants can't do a thing! They can't even _leave_!" I remind her. "They can't do anything, all because of _me_… this is exactly what I was trying to avoid…!"

"Stop blaming yourself!" Lyn yells at me all of the sudden, startling me. "It wasn't your fault that Shadow is doing this to you, and it's not your fault that Master Hand and the Dragon are hunting you. _None_ of this is your fault." she tells me, before looking at me with a sorrowful expression. "Lucas… why can't you put the blame on the ones who are really responsible for your suffering? Why do you only ever blame _yourself_?"

My eyes widen at the sudden question… I can't answer her right away, I need to think of how to explain it…

Because I'm too weak. Why not just tell it like it is?

_I told you to shut up_! But it's a deep blow to my ego because the other me is absolutely right… "Because I can't _do_ anything…" I tell Lyn, looking away from her. "I never have any control over what's happening around me… or even what's happening _in_ me… it makes me feel so _weak_, not being able to take control…"

"Lucas, cut that out this instant." Lyn says forcefully. "You know as well as I do that's not true. If you were so weak, you never would've lasted this long."

Oh, what does _she_ know? She has no idea what goes on in my head.

I grasp my forehead crushingly tight and say, "_SHUT UP_!" Instantly I realize my mistake… I just said that out loud. Right after Lyn spoke to me… I feel horrible guilt as I turn to her again, and she is backed off slightly, an expression of pure shock on her face. She's nearly about to cry. "N-no… I didn't mean you, Lyn… the voice in my head won't leave me alone…!"

It takes Lyn a moment to calm down, hopefully realizing what I meant. Her expression turns solemn and she walks towards me, gently prying my hand from my head. I wonder what's she's doing at first, but then she pulls me into a hug. As if they have a will of their own, my own tears start flowing suddenly. Her finger is stroking my hair, trying to comfort me… my body is shaking, and once again my heart rate sped up. "You're scared, I understand… but it's alright to be scared, Lucas. It means that you're human." she whispers into my ear. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm scared, too…"

If I were in any mood to right now, I'd laugh. Lyn? Scared? I never thought I'd ever hear those two words in the same sentence, let along from _her_. If she's really afraid, she's not showing it… "How do you do it…?" I ask her.

"...Do what?" she asks back.

"Ignore your fear…" I clarify. "We've... had to fight so many enemies... so many monsters... we've been up against such horrible odds..." I look up at her, my eyes still watery. "How are you not afraid of any of it...?"

Lyn closes her eyes, no longer threatening to spill tears like mine are, pondering what he answer will be. "I don't, Lucas..." What? "I don't ignore my fear... it's just not possible. Every time I go out into battle, I always wonder what will happen if I have to strike someone down, or _get_ struck down..." She opens her eyes again, suddenly filled with resolve. "And then I think about what I'm fighting _for_. I think about all of those people who would suffer, who might die if I don't fight for them... I'm more afraid of that than whether or not _I_ die."

Afraid of what might happen to others...? Of course... isn't that what's been motivating me this entire time, to prevent pain from reaching other people, from reaching my friends? But I'm always more afraid about what could happen to _me_... of course, who did I have to fight for back then...? The villagers of Tazmily, who hated me for not getting a Happy Box and being one of them? My mother and brother, who are... _were_ already dead? My father, who spent those lonely three years of my life looking for my brother? Or my friends who journeyed with my across Nowhere Island, trying to set everything right, but for their own reasons? As much as I loved them all... was I ever really willing to _die_ for them? "No wonder I'm always so weak..." I say, my tears still hot as they stream down my face, looking away from her in shame. "I don't think I've never had anyone like that... no one to really fight for other than myself... so I just suffer..."

"I... see..." Lyn says with some kind of hesitation. "Lucas... do you think of me as a friend?"

I look up at her in surprise, unable to believe that she would even _question_ that. "Wh-what? Of course I do!" I say without pause. "There's no one I would trust more..."

Lyn smiles and slips a hand into her warrior dress... and pulls something out of what I assume is an interior pocket. It looks like a badge of some sort, only slightly smaller than her palm. "Then fight for me, Lucas..." she says finally. "Think of me when you fight, think of helping me, protecting me... and if you ever have any trouble thinking of me, then just look at this..."

She takes my hand then, and places the badge-like object into it. I manage to stifle my tears so I can get a look at it. The engraved images on it are very worn out, but in its centre appears to be a silver staff, with a red jewel at the end surrounded by gold. Surrounding it are various designs of red, yellow and blue. Despite its condition, it still carries a potent shine like it was polished only recently. It must have looked very beautiful when it was new. "What is it?" I ask her.

"It's called a 'Heaven Seal.'" Lyn answers. "When I had to fight alongside my friends Eliwood and Hector before joining the organization, these seals gave us incredible strength. Now I just carry it around to remind me of them..." she explains.

"L-Lyn, I..." I stammer. "I can't accept this... this means to much to you..."

"And that's why I'm giving it to you." Lyn insists, gently pushing the hand holding the seal to my chest. "So you always know you have a friend and someone to fight for..."

All I can do is stare at her, and then the seal for a moment. Lyn was... just _giving_ this to me, something she treasured as much as she did her dearest friends... all for the sake of trying to help me. This is too much... I hold the seal to my chest with both hands and tell her, "Thank you..."

"Ding-_dong_." The sound the P.A. makes when a message is incoming bring me out of my stupefied state. "Attention, all passengers." Says a voice... one of the Meta Knights from the bridge, I think. "We are nearing the end of the interdimensional wormhole. Will Mister Lucas and Miss Lyndis please report to the passenger boarding ramp ASAP." This message is finished by a "_dong_-ding," the same as the starting sound, but reversed.

"Sounds like we've arrived..." Lyn says, getting up onto her feet. "Are you ready, Lucas?"

In response I also get to my feet, sliding the Heaven Seal into my right-front pocket and grabbing my Mystical Stick that is leaning against the back wall. I nod to her and reply, "As ready as I'll ever be."

0000000000

Where were we? No one seemed to know. Apparently the coordinates Shadow gave us were of a world none of the Smashers had been to before, or even listed in the Worlds Database for that matter. This was unsettling to say the least. As for the location, the Halberd had been made to hover along the side of a mountain with a wide cave entrance, not having anywhere to touch down. Meta Knight presumably scanned the mountain and found no other entrances, and since this was the area the wormhole had dropped us off, this had to be the meeting place. Lyn and I hopped off of the swaying boarding ramp, careful not to stumble, and landed on a flat section of the rock in front of that entrance. The cave is lit up by... something, but I can't see what. It looks grey though, in contrast to the mountain's brown.

The wind is very strong up here... I only need to glance down the side of this rocky landscape, which is eventually obscured by clouds, to tell that we are very high up. I look back at the Halberd to see that Ness is standing at the edge, a sad expression on his face. Snake is also there, looking a bit indifferent, but that's nothing unusual. "Be careful, guys!" Ness shouts.

I wave to him in response, before the boarding ramp begins to fold back into the Halberd's hull. There was no turning back now... but I'd already made my choice. Princia is in here, and I'm not going to leave until I save her. I turn back to the cave, putting on as determined an expression as I can before glancing up at Lyn. She nods to me, looking equally ready.

We make out way inside.

The moment I step inside, I can tell that a number of things aren't right. The first, and most obvious, is the cold and foreboding chill down my spine that usually accompanies Shadow's presence. He's definitely here. But aside from him, I can also feel something else... something very strong. Trying to pinpoint it only succeeds in hurting my head, so I decide not to do that anymore. The third thing, not nearly as subtle as the first two, is the true form of the "grey" colour I saw outside the cave: metal walls, forming a hallway, with ceiling lights providing the aforementioned illumination. The only reason someone would want to mechanize the inside of a mountain is to hide something... could Lyn and I be walking right into Shadow's home? It's a terrifying thought, to be on _his_ turf instead of just a meeting place... I hope I'm wrong.

Fortunately, the walk from the entrance to the hallway's end is done without any problems. And at the end was a metal platform disconnected from the hallway by a few inches... and beyond that was a _wide_ cavern. At least I think it's a cavern, because this time it isn't lit up. A pair of metal rails were attached to the platform, leading into that cavern at a small, upwards angle. There were small, dim, blue lights along the rail. I guess this is an elevator of sorts? With nowhere else to proceed from here, we step onto the platform, which is barely big enough for us both; I stand at the left, Lyn stands at the right.

A sudden jerk from the platform forces me to grab the rail in panic; is it about to collapse? After a moment of tense waiting, I realize that this thankfully isn't the case, and instead there is the sound of a motor starting up as the platform begins to ascend up the rail slowly. Still, with the hallway slowly distancing itself from us, I begin to feel a bit of vertigo as this platform has neither a back nor front railing to prevent us from falling over. I shudder audibly and say, "I _hate_ heights..."

"Tell me about it..." Lyn says, sounding equally uncomfortable. "I'm glad I can't see the bottom..." For me, that wasn't very reassuring...

For the moment, nothing changes, just the "_whirr_" sound from the elevator motors as we slowly ascend up the rails. Then, the monotony is broken up by the sound of... I'm not sure what is, but it's very quiet and sounds like "_wooom_." Soon enough, the source is revealed when a quartet of lights appear in front of us, a brighter blue than the rail lights. It looks like... a floating, silver television screen, with black speakers to attached to its left and right sides. I can't tell what exactly is making it float, though...

The television screen flickers to life, and for a moment my eyes sting from the contrast of light to dark. When I readjust though – it doesn't take long – I see Shadow's face on the screen. "Right on time... good, I like people who are punctual." His voice is a lot clearer out of those speakers than the Halberd's, that's for sure. Almost as if he's right here in front of us... I'm thankful he's not.

Immediately I notice that Shadow's venue has changed... though that's mainly because the area behind him the last time I saw him was pitch black, except for Princia's dangling body when he wasn't standing in front of it. This time I can see his whole body, lounging quite comfortably in a pitch black... I think it's a throne, or at least a very big chair outlined with jagged shapes and lit up by two orange wall torches on either side. It fills me with such spite, to see him so calm and cozy while we're all suffering because of him! "Where is she!" I ask immediately when I don't see her on the image.

"Don't get your swirl in a knot, she's still hanging around." Shadow answers, crossing his legs and resting his left elbow on an armrest, leaning his face on his hand. "She won't be slipping out of or breaking the chain she's suspended with, so don't worry, she's safe. At least for now."

It only relieved me slightly to know that she was still alive, but presumably still dangling over a vat of molten lead. My gut tells me that he can probably change that at any time, so like it or not, we have to go along with whatever he tells us to. "Alright, the rest of the Smashers and Assistants are on board the Halberd, and we're here alone, just like you asked. Now what do you want?" Lyn inquires.

"Uh, hold that thought." Shadow says, drumming his fingers on his right armrest in a very distinct fashion... is there a keypad on it? I think I saw something similar on Princia's spaceship once, in her own seat. There's a beep sound from the television, and Shadow says, "There, that's better."

"What in the... _now_ what do you want!" Wait... that's Meta Knight's voice.

"What the... Meta Knight, is that you?" I ask.

"Lucas?" the voice replies, confused.

"I decided to let the Halberd in on our conversation." Shadow explains. "And took the liberty of jury-rigging its P.A. system so everyone on board can participate."

What came next was a combination of reactions, ranging all the way from "Stop hacking into my ship!" from Meta Knight, to "Hellooo, can you hear me?" from Ness. The rest was mindless jabber that I couldn't make out.

"Oookay..." I say, immediately feeling awkward at the Smasher's sudden involvement. "_Why_?"

"Well, since I'm about to explain everything to you, I figured, 'Why not let everyone else in on it, too?'" Shadow said.

Unfortunately, he didn't clarify things enough for me. "...What? Explain what, the trap you set for me and Lyn?"

"_Oi_... you really don't trust me at all, do you?" Shadow said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "No no, I'm talking about the 'truth' you'd been trying to discover since day one." My eyes go wide. "The secrets that Master Hand wanted to keep from you so badly, why your dear Dragon of Darkness is hunting you, and why Giygas and I are trying to turn you into a ranting lunatic..." He leans into the screen. "You want to know, don't you? And I'm sure everyone else is curious, aren't they?"

Faced with this new proposition, I can't give a response right away. But the Smashers aboard the Halberd do, demanding answers. He's... seriously going to reveal everything? I look up at Lyn helplessly, and all she can do is shrug, as confused as I am. "But... _why_?" I have to ask. My instincts are just _screaming_ at me that something is wrong.

"Other than the fact that you're going to be on that elevator for a long, _long_ time?" Shadow replies. "Simply because, now that Master Hand and the Dragon are out of commission, I'm able to speak freely." He sits back into his chair and outstretches his arms. "It's 'Ask Shadow' day! Ask me anything you want about the dreadful circumstances that got you all wrapped up in this fine mess. I promise to answer them all to the best of my ability!" he proclaims dramatically.

"What? What is this, a game show?" Ness complains.

"Ness, be quiet!" Princess Peach hushes him.

"You're seriously going to reveal everything to us?" Lyn asks. "How do we even know what you'll say is the truth?"

Now sounding more like his usual self instead of a game show host, Shadow replies, "Let's just say that the inability to lie is..." He knocks on the side of his head with his fist. "...hardwired into my brain. I can mislead and let people make their own mistakes, but I literally _can't_ fib. If you ask me something, I have to answer it completely honestly." he explains, before resuming his comfortable position in the chair. "So what do you want to know first?"

This is unbelievable. Instead of leading us into a trap – which he very well could be doing with this moving elevator, gradually – he's letting me ask him about this whole disaster I've been through? This is too weird... it was actually a very good question; what _did_ I want to know first? Master Hand's secrets, the Dragon's attempts to kill me, or the reason Shadow got me into this mess in the first place? Maybe... yeah, maybe if the secrets were revealed, I might be able to better understand my role in this. "Tell me what Master Hand was hiding, and everything about it." I state simply. "Maybe if we know why he was willing to sacrifice all those lives, we can better understand what's going on."

I know it's not just me who wants this burning question answered. I could tell that, like me, the Smashers felt betrayed and used by Master Hand after he showed his true colours. "Still more curious about those secrets than your own involvement? I figured youd've wanted to know about _that_ first... but whatever. Makes it easier for me to explain." I had considered that, but I thought it would've been selfish of me... he crossed one arm across his chest, and put his other free hand to his chin. "That _still_ doesn't mean it'll be easy, though... hopefully it won't go over your mortal heads. Hmm..."

There's that term again... why do people like Master Hand and Shadow keep referring to us as "mortals?"

"Okay, how about this." Shadow says, clearing his throat afterward. "You're aware of Master Hand's and his brother's power, right? How one creates and one destroys, and that it wound up getting one of them enslaved by the being you knew as 'Tabuu?'" Tabuu... as if I could ever forget him. He was the main perpetrator behind the Subspace Incident. His – or perhaps it's? – body was made up of what was best described as static and tiny, blue computer screens pushed tightly into the size and shape of a tall, human male, and he would even grow large, shimmering, butterfly-like wings when preparing to attack. He created the Subspace Army that tried to overrun Master Hand's world, and even controlled Master Hand like a puppet on golden strings to achieve this. But what did he, of all people, have to do with this? "What I'll bet you _didn't_ know is that Tabuu was the one that _created_ the hands to begin with."

Surprise shouts came from the Halberd as Shadow dropped this bombshell. Master Hand was... _created_ by that world-breaking maniac? "Tabuu _created_ the hands!" repeated Ness.

"But that makes no sense!" the voice of Princess Zelda interjected. "Why would their creator have to control them through force?"

"Creations don't always obey their masters, you know." Shadow reminded her. "Tabuu was... shall we say, the epitome of a child in an oversized sandbox. He enjoyed creating a world, and then erasing it when he got bored of it and started over. But some of his latest creations – I shouldn't have to tell you it was the Hands – didn't like this, and double-crossed him. They stole some of his power and sealed him away so that they could keep Tabuu's latest world for themselves."

A snort was head over the speakers... I think it was Bowser. "Well they obviously didn't do a very good job, since _we_ had to stop him instead!" Yep, definitely Bowser.

"Wait, wait, wait." Ness interrupts. "You lost me... _creating_ a world?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, boy. You heard what I said loud and clear." Shadow replies. "Indeed, Tabuu had the power to create and destroy his world at will. And it's also the reason the Hands weren't able to contain him completely." he explained. "And why was this all possible, you ask? Because of the exact thing Master Hand wanted to keep a secret from you all... the thing that he was allegedly willing to lose all those lives for... the thing that he was willing to _kill_ one of his own for..."

He pauses then... for dramatic effect? But damnit, I'm in no mood for his theatrics! Just spit it out already!

"...That Tabuu, their fearful creator, was a _God_."

A... a _what_? Tabuu was...

"A God...?" mutters a meek, teenage voice from the Halberd. It is the voice of Pit, a Smasher all the way from a place called "Angel Land." And it isn't just a name, Angel Land is a _real_ place, and a home to actual angels of which Pit is one of. He joined the Smashers to help us with the Subspace incident at the request of Lady Palutena, the green-haired ruler of Angel Land... and reportedly a real, living _Goddess_. It was impossible for anyone to take such a claim from the young angel seriously at first, but we were all proven otherwise when we saw his Final Smash: Palutena herself appears in the stage and summons her angel army, which Pit is the commander of. With only one look at her, somehow we knew that she was something far behind normal people. I guess it's only natural that Pit of all people was curious.

"Indeed... Pit, was it?" Shadow addresses him. "The only Smasher to know firsthand of a God's existence. Surely Palutena knew what Tabuu was... but it sounds like you weren't aware."

"...No, she didn't tell me..." Pit replied quietly. "When she told me to go and help the Smashers in Master Ha— ...Tabuu's world, that was all she said." A pause. "You mean to tell me that... we defeated a _God_...?"

"That's what I'm telling you." Shadow said, putting his hand on his chin again and looking up to the ceiling. "I can only think of two reasons why she didn't tell you what you were up against. The first being because it'd _really_ damage your confidence if you knew... and the second being that the oath prevented it. It's probably both."

The oath... that's right, I'd nearly forgotten about that. Part of the reason, if not the _whole_ reason Master Hand and Mewtwo saw fit to get rid of me rather than answer my questions, was the oath. "The oath..." I say. "They were trying so hard to keep everything from me, all because of _that_." I look Shadow in the eye... in theory, since it's just a monitor. "What _is_ this whole 'oath' thing about?"

"Hmm... there's no better time to explain, I suppose." Shadow continues. "Some of you might have already theorized this by now, and _yes_, there are certainly more Gods out there than just Palutena and Tabuu. In fact, there's one for every world in this multiverse, travelled or untraveled by the likes of you. Quite a cozy bunch they are. And they're all ridiculously strong... strong enough to erase – that's the term they use – everything in their world, however large and numerous, and recreate it at will. But having all that power tends to get problematic when they mess with things from _each other's_ worlds and not just their own... thus, they were made to swear an oath for their powers. There's four simple rules to it: the first is to never set foot in another's world without the owner's permission. Second, never _manipulate_ anything from another's world without the owner's permission. Third, never involve yourself in another God's issues. And fourth, the most important one to them... never willingly reveal yourself to a mortal, which is what they call their living creations, or..." he pauses, leaving into the screen and adding with a low voice, "_...reveal the existence of another God to mortals_."

I'm a bit surprised at the emphasis of the last one... what did this presumably most-important rule have to do with the situation? "An oath of the Gods... wow... that's really heavy-sounding..." Ness says with awe. "But what does _that_ have to do with Lucas?"

"Well, it's not so much about Lucas, but _me_ instead..." Shadow replies. "You already know what I am: an Eternal, a being incapable of either living or dying. No matter what kind of punishment I take, I just keep coming back, as Lucas discovered back at Magica." Indeed I did... I still vividly remember the sight of him crucified against the back wall of the Magican Royal Palace with his heart skewered, and yet another _him_ just ripped its way out of his old body. "Eternal life is something that mortals have been trying to perfect since the beginning of time, but for some reason they _just_ couldn't ever do it... the reason for that is simple: the Gods crapped on them _every_ time. They didn't want anyone reverse-engineering their formula for the perfect life, an Eternal. It's something that, no matter what, only _they_ are allowed to make." He then grins that impossibly-wide grin. "That's what I am, and how I know everything I do. I'm an advocate of the Gods themselves... namely, the Goddess of Power, Din."

_"WHAT_!" boomed a triad of voices from the Halberd; I didn't even need to tell apart their voices to know that it was Link, Princess Zelda and Toon, for the simple reason that Din was one of _their_ Gods. "You mean to tell me that _my_ Goddess created you!" Zelda shrieked.

"You're surprised, Zellie? I thought you would've figured it out sooner." Shadow said, completely unfazed by her reaction. "I don't wear Link's style of clothing by _choice_, you know. This is what she stuck me with." Zelda grunts in disapproval. "I guess I'd better explain this little doozy, too... you guys must realize by now there have been several Links and Zeldas, and thus several versions of Hyrule. This is the result of your Goddesses Din, Farore and Nayru scrapping and resetting your world so many times. The only actual constant through them all, of all things, is _me_. A dark reflection of the hero to test his might. Not in every iteration, though... that's why the Links in the Super Smash Brothers Organization at the moment haven't met me before. Convenient for me, I guess."

And then there was silence, probably to let the Hylians of the organization take everything in... "_Ahem_! That still doesn't answer _my_ question!" Ness reminds Shadow.

"I'm getting there! Geez, will someone shut him up for a minute!" Shadow complains. "Anyway, it was supposed to be a simple formula. Whenever Din decided whether or not to include me in her next version of Hyrule, she'd erase my memory and alter me to fit the purpose she had in mind... something I'm still _very_ sore about, for the record. Even I've lost count of how many times this happened... but something changed around six months ago." Six months... that was during the Subspace incident. "It took an error of – pardon the pun – godly proportions to make me what I am now. In this case, it was during Din was... 'programming' me, shall we say. During that time, a God had been slain..."

No... surely he isn't suggesting...

"Figure it out yet? That God was Tabuu." Shadow confirmed. Oh no... "The demise of a God had thrown pretty much every other God out there into a wild state of disarray, including Din. While she went off wondering what the hell had happened, she left me unattended... alas, it turns out not even a God's magic is flawless. The memories and forms of my past incarnations weren't _totally_ wiped from existence... just locked away in a sense. Somehow, being in that state of limbo for so long allowed my past selves to come back. Needless to say, when I found out what Din had been doing to me all that time, I was _furious_. So I escaped her dominion." He grins. "I guess, in a way, you Smashers are responsible for letting me come to be..."

As Shadow begins a bout of superior-sounding laughter, the inevitable chorus of shock and anger rings out from the Halberd. For me, this whole explanation has almost been too much to handle so far... learning that Gods actually exist, and that Tabuu was one of them and that that he had created the Hands... and that meddling with him had brought about someone potentially _worse_ than him... but Ness' question still hadn't been answered; what did _I_ have to do with this? Would he get right to it, or would there be more explaining to do? As amazing as I find it now, I want to know more... I want him to tell me everything.

"Of course, I couldn't just sit around to take revenge. Being her creation, she would've erased me in a heartbeat." Shadow continued after his laughing fit had subsided. "So I knew I had to get out of her world quickly... and luck had shined upon me that day. I'd happened upon the transporation system – I believe that's what you call it – that Master Hand had set up in Hyrule. And it turns out he had incorporated a very _interesting_ feature into it..." More mysteries about Master Hand... somehow I'm not surprised. "When I just said I escaped Din's dominion, I don't mean 'domination' as such. Gods are able to manipulate the fate of their creations and even erase them completely... imagine my fortune when I realized that Master Hand's version of an interdimensional portal _voids_ this ability."

"Voids it?" I ask, not completely understanding. "What do you mean, 'voids it?'"

"Is there an echo in here? Exactly what I said!" Shadow replies. "Anyone and anything that goes through a portal of Master Hand's origin can't have their fate manipulated by their own God. And _yes_, that includes each and every one of you Smashers." Surprise echoes through the Halberd now. "And something else I should probably point out, Gods that have no dominion over their own creations are a _lot_ less powerful... they drop from all-powerful to merely superhuman. This is the reason you were able to bring down Tabuu so easily..." _Easy_? There was _nothing_ easy about that fight! Even with all of us Smashers there to challenge him, we were on our last legs at the end... "It's also part of the reason why the Gods value the fourth rule of the oath, their secrecy, so much. They're surprisingly spineless."

"My Goddess is _not_ spineless!" Pit roars from the Halberd. He _really_ doesn't like it when people insult Lady Palutena.

"Then why does she never assist you in your adventures, Pit? Much less when you were up against a God?" Shadow counters, leaving a panicked, flustered stutter as Pit's only reply. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyway, the only possible reason I think Master Hand would do this dominion-voiding thing is for protection from Tabuu and all the other Gods who might not approve of his actions. With all these people from other worlds surrounding him, they wouldn't be able to act without breaking the fourth rule." Right, the fourth rule was to never reveal yourself to the mortals of another world... divine intervention would've been all but inpossible. "And now with all that out of the way... I can finally get to why so many of these beings want little Lucas here erased." I feel myself gulp in anticipation... after all of these bombshells, I'm not even sure I want to know anymore... but I _have_ to know. There would be no solving this mystery otherwise. "It was set in motion when the gifted boy sealed the fate of his world, awakening the Dragon from its long slumber. It should be worth noting that the Dragon, Lucas, is actually the God of your world."

I can feel the colour drain from my face. "M-_my_ God?" I stammer in complete surprise.

"Yep." Shadow replies. "Master Hand, due to his desire to eventually protect and unify the worlds, wanted to save everyone from the coming Armageddon." What...? Master Hand tried to... _save_ everyone...? "Thing is, the Dragon was _really_ possessive of its creations, even when it was about to wipe them all out. Despite all the Hand's pleading, he was only able to bring one person with him to his world, the one whose life had been damaged the most so he could give him a second chance." He explains. "That person, obviously, was you, Lucas."

What... no... "That... that can't be..." I whisper, falling to my knees. Master Hand... tried to save everyone on Nowhere Island? He _saved_ me from that catastrophe?

"Unfortunately, the Dragon was a crafty God." Shadow continues. "Being the one that ultimately brought you into being, it knew you even better than you knew yourself. And it was one of the Gods that _really_ didn't approve of Master Hand's growing power. It knew you would eventually try to get back to your own world to see what had happened... and knew it would make Master Hand look like the big bad guy in your eyes." He leans into the screen, a menacing look in his eyes. "Simply put... the _only_ reason the Dragon allowed Master Hand to take you was eventually to bring down his little organization, just like what you've done up to this point." He grins. "It was an admittedly clever ploy."

"Th-that's..." I stammer, unable to think of a response. "N-no, I...!"

"You've gotta be kidding me...!" Ness gasps. "That's... that is _messed up_...!"

"That is so cruel... that's no 'second chance!'" Lyn yelled. "That's just prolonging his suffering!"

"Yes, indeed... and that's why he caught my eye... or rather, Giygas'." Shadow said. "You see, my desire is to put an end to all of this crap that the Gods put us through, by putting an end to the Gods _themselves_ along with the pitiful excuses for worlds that they govern."

"What... you can't be serious!" Pit shouted. "Come on now, even if you are immortal, you were still _created_ by one of those Gods. Do you really think you can take on all of the people who presumably created the worlds we live in? That's completely mad!"

"Oh, but I have a plan, my young angelic friend!" Shadow said, wagging his finger. "It started when I first met Giygas, trying to pull himself together after the crushing defeat you, Ness, Paula and Poo handed him. Yep, he was still alive, if only just... I sensed great power from him and figured he would be a decent ally, so I sped up the process... and boy was I right." He grinned. "Giygas had something I needed to begin my plan, namely the Devil's Machine. It's a machine that runs off of both the mental energies and the malice of the user... and I had ways of supplying that for him. After I filled him in on my goals, we decided to team up. But obviously he didn't want to go into the machine again, so I needed someone else to help me power it..." I feel a pit form in my chest... I hope he's not implying what I think he is. "And judging from your expression, Lucas, I'd say that you already figured out who we picked... that's right, _you_!"

I can feel horror grip my soul as he descends into more mad laughter... m-_me_... as _fuel_ for that wretched machine...? Then... the reason he was trying to force this madness into me was...

"Although, when you first went to Master Hand and were freed from the Dragon's dominion, you were too innocent to be a decent power source." Shadow continued... I don't want to listen to this anymore, but I can't stop myself...! "But that would change in due time. Thanks to some inside info from Giygas, we knew that all we had to do was wait until you decided to learn about the fate of your home... that single event was what set everything in motion." He cackles. "The Gods couldn't do anything to stop me without breaking the fourth part of the oath, and you were pretty much impossible to dispose of with all of your trusted Smashers protecting you." He points with an outstretched arm at the screen, looking at it madly. "Such a pitiful organization! In all your attempts to save the worlds and yourselves, you've actually been playing right into my plans to _doom_ everything..." He grins. "Good job on that."

No... this was his plan for me? To make me fuel the end of the world! And the Smashers... he _used_ them... he used _all_ of us to help his plans along! I curl up into a ball, tears beginning to form in my eyes... he used us all from the very start! "By the stars... have we been nothing but pawns?" Meta Knight gasped.

"Dirty, double-crossing, double-dealing..." Ness growled.

"Heh heh heh... indeed, most of the turmoil you all have experienced along with Lucas was choreographed, and you all played your parts beautifully..." I hear Shadow say, too distraught to look up at him now... "But like all good performances, they must come to an end... and what an end it will be for you all! Because now that you know of the God's existence... well, they no longer have to worry about hiding from you all. And since they value their secrecy above all else..."

That gets me to look back up at him in complete terror. The Gods... no, they wouldn't dare...! "What! You don't mean...!" I shriek, barely ignoring the hot tears going down my face.

"Of course! Why else do you think I even let them join in on our conversation?" Shadow says, tapping his head with his finger. "The prospect of _anyone_ outside of their dominion knowing about their existence _terrifies_ them... now they'll literally do _anything_ to shut your organization up, as quickly as possible." He laughs heartily, barely heard over the shouts of fear and anger on the Halberd.

"Bu-but you just said they don't have dominion over us anymore!" I stammer.

"Yes, I did... but that doesn't mean they can't use brute force to erase them. Think about this as your fight with Tabuu, only with a lot more of him..." Shadow clarifies for me, and then I realize the danger they're in... "Sooo... I've leave you guys to that. Nice knowing you."

He touches the keypad on his chair's armrest again, and suddenly the yelling from the Halberd stops. I think he cut the communication off. Everything is deathly silent all of the sudden, save for my ragged breathing... what am I feeling now? Fear? Remorse? Rage? I don't even know anymore... I don't know _anything_ for sure anymore... all my hopes and dreams, from when I tried to save my home to when I tried to save the Smashers... all of them, stepped on by the _Gods_? I was even betrayed by my _own_ God, and now Shadow has revealed his plans... they all just wanted me to be a tool of destruction... _why_! Is this really all I was meant to be! The exact thing I _didn't_ want to become!

But I _did_ want it... all that destruction made me so happy...

I bury that line of thought in the back of my mind; _no_! That isn't me! I do _not_ enjoy cutting people's lives short!

Something touches my shoulder... its Lyn's hand again, trying to comfort me, but it doesn't help. All I can do is look up at her with teary eyes, probably reddened from crying by now. Her face is solemn, and she is silent. She probably can't think of what to say to me. I can't blame her... what would you say to someone who had learned he was everything he hated? She turns to Shadow, her face quickly mirroring pure rage. "I can't believe how much of a monster you are..." she says venomously. "Both you _and_ the Dragon. Lucas has suffered enough in his life. I don't care what your plans are, _no_ being deserves what he's been through!"

"My dear girl, I'm afraid you missed the point." Shadow replies. "If the Gods genuinely cared about their creations, then Lucas would still be at Nowhere Island with his family in a peaceful place. But the reality is, there's no world where everything is peaceful, simply because the Gods _don't want it that way_. Think about how _boring_ life would be without some turmoil to mix things up... the Dragon doesn't give two shits about its creations, much less Lucas, just the entertainment they can provide. I'll bet it didn't even _flinch_ when he chewed up and spit out his hopes for a new world." He leans back into his chair, his chin resting on laced fingers. "This is something every God has been guilty of at least once, and I've decided it has to stop."

"But what about all the people _you've_ hurt?" Lyn asks. "Doesn't their suffering, their _deaths_ mean anything to you at all?"

Shadow shakes his head with a twisted smirk. "Not one bit. Din didn't create me to protect or sympathize, just to destroy. All there is to me is killer instinct, the desire to dominate and _slaughter_ my enemies." He raises his left hand and closes it into a tight fist, as if pretending to crush something. "That's why I can manipulate all of you so easily... you let those killer instincts stay buried in your souls. Especially you, Lucas." Me...? "Surely you've felt the rush several times by now. The feeling of being superior, knowing you can crush the skull of your foe any time you want... base urges of any being, mortal or god, and yet you try to _suppress_ them. That's why you're so weak... conflict is what allows people to grow stronger, that's why people like me look for it. But _you_, my friend, _avoid_ it whenever possible. It's pathetic!"

I barely catch the last of what he said, a sudden fury welling up in me. "_I am not weak_...!" I snarl.

Shadow grins at me smugly and replies, "Yeah, yeah, keep imagining that."

"Blackheart..." Lyn mutters darkly, getting onto her feet. My crying fit having gone and passed, I stand up as well. "Just you wait until we find you... I'll slay you like the demon you are!"

His left eyebrow raises. "Wow, in this whole conversation, I think that's the first time anyone's actually threatened me... but I think you've forgotten something very important."

"And what's that?"

That maddening grin again. "That you're heading into a trap."

He presses a button, and the elevator beneath us abruptly stops. My first reaction is to look down at it. No sooner than I do this, does the elevator _fold up_ in the middle at a downward angle. I can feel almost nothing but panic as my only foothold has disappeared from under me, and Lyn and I let out a surprised scream as we plummet into the darkness below...

Son of a bitch.

* * *

**A/N:** Ehh... normally I'd put something witty in here about now, but I'm too worried about this chapter. There was a lot of talking in this one, and I'm mainly concerned that the truth behind everything – namely the part about _Gods_ – might actually ruin the story. I certainly mean no offense to any devout Christians or anything of the sort, I just figured it would be a decent plot point. But that's why reviews exist: I'll let you guys be the judge.

And with that out of the way, the true terror is about to begin. If I haven't put anyone off of the story, then you don't want to miss the next two or three chapters. Seriously.


	28. Chapter 26: Insanity

**A/N: **Well, looks like the secret is out. The Smashers have fallen into Shadow's cleverly-laid trap, and Lucas and Lyn are at the heart of it. Will they be able to save Princia and stop the madman? Or are they just getting closer and closer to their doom? There is much more to his plan than just a long drop… so much more…

* * *

_Chapter 26: Insanity_

I can't hold back a primal scream surging through my body. It could either be from my innate fear of heights, the utter rage I'm feeling towards Shadow or perhaps just that my body is moving through the air faster than was ever intended. In any case, it's a very unpleasant sensation that I both wish and _don't_ wish would stop… because stopping it could mean a very painful landing. Because of how dark it is in this cavern, I can't see what I'm falling into. And I can only hear Lyn's scream that accompanies mine, I can't see her either.

It's a shock when I feel my back hit something, but not as painful as I'd imagined – though that's not to say it didn't hurt, I'm not feeling it just yet since my adrenaline is rushing – but I'm still very quickly moving downward. I think I'm on an incline, one so steep that it's barely stopping my downward momentum, like a slide except with a lot of bumps in it. My first instinct is to try and think of a PSI technique that would stop this, but in this complete darkness I'd be firing blind, and that would probably do more harm than good. The only thing I can think to do is brace myself as much as possible. "D-Defense Up!" I manage to say through my shouting, trying to imagine my body becoming as solid as a rock, to withstand any impact. Within seconds the discomfort from the bumps in the incline becomes almost unnoticeable.

It feels like an eternity, but I think it was really less than thirty seconds before I see something below me. Something is lit up down here… but before I'm able to see what it is, I've already slid down into it. My body takes much less of a blow than I thought, but instead my eyes start to sting, and I close them on reflex. I'm also noticing that my hearing is much worse… as if something is covering my ears. It takes me a moment to realize that I've landed in water instead of on solid ground.

I quickly swim up to the surface and shake the water out of my eyes, so I can see just where my wild ride took me. I've landed in a muddy cave pond, situated in a quaint cavern lit up by dim, orange mining lights dug into the higher part of the walls along with… what looks like a metal P.A. speaker. Up above, I can see the hole I fell in here from, and a quick look around reveals that a narrow tunnel is the only other way out of here. The only thing I _don't_ see, to my horror, is Lyn. "Lyn? _Lyn_! Where are you!" I call out to her. I look into the water, but it's too murky and there isn't enough light for me to see through it clearly…

I hear a click noise, and my head jerks in the direction it came from. Sounds like the P.A. speaker is starting up. "Oh, how I love making other people's adrenaline rush… the expressions of their faces are _priceless_." It's Shadow. His voice is static-ridden through the P.A., but still clear enough for me to tell that it's him. "Feeling lonely, kiddies? Don't worry, you'll be seeing each other again soon… but will you find Princia by then? I should probably tell you that after I triggered the elevator trap, I activated the wench system holding the fair Princess of Magica above certain, melty doom. You've got five minutes until she's dipped into that molten lead, so you'd better hurry~"

Five minutes… damn him! This really is nothing but a game to him, isn't it! There's no time to waste. I swim to dry land and shake the water off before running as fast as I can into the exit tunnel. For now I'd have to hope that Lyn would be fine on her own, but if I know her, that won't be a problem. My focus will have to be on rescuing Princia for now—

As if fate were responding to my thoughts, the narrow tunnel comes to an abrupt end, leading into yet another large cavern… and I can see her. Princia is dangling in the air in a frenzied panic, right there! What in the world? I look back through the tunnel; I can even still see the cave pond from here… what kind of trick is this? Regardless, this is my chance to get her out of this mess. "Princia!" I shout to her. She stops her flailing and turns to me. She tries to call my name again, but the ball gag in her mouth prevents it… but it's definitely her, it's no illusion. I step out a little further into the room, noticing a huge drop-off from where I am… that the vat of molten lead is right at the bottom. Slowly, the chain holding her up – attached to God knows what, I can't see with the poor lighting in the ceiling – is gaining slack and lowering her towards it. I can tell just from looking at the shimmering, silver substance that it's very hot. I swear I can even feel the heat from here. "Hang on, I'll have you out of that contraption in a second!"

I decide the first thing I should do is remove the lead as a threat, so I set off to get down there – only to run into… something. I clutch my nose in pain as I hit my head into something face-first, but I can't see _what_… I tried walking off the cliff and just stopped. Confused, I reach my hand out, and am greeted with a wall of what appears to be orange static, pushing my hand back, and then the static disappears when nothing is in contact with it. A force field, maybe? Of course, it wouldn't be _this_ easy to save Princia… I need to figure out a way through this thing.

I hear some muffled shouts from Princia, making me to look at her. She's cocking her head up with every shout… is she telling me to look up? Maybe… does she know how to disable this barrier? I look up as I think she requests, but it isn't a solution to my problem I see; instead my senses go into overdrive as a large fireball is _flying right at me_! I quickly jump backwards, narrowly avoiding it, as it dissipates on the rocky floor leaving it scorched. That attack… that was definitely PSI, I could feel it. I look back up to where it came from, and sure enough there is someone up there… someone wearing robes that were even darker in colour than the unlit portions of this cave.

"I am afraid rescuing this princess will not be that simple." That voice… female, I'm sure I've heard it before. But where from? Suddenly the person is surrounded by a purple light, sprouting up from whatever she's standing on… and when it fades away, she is gone. But then the light reappears on ground level a few feet in front of me, along with a ring of that light forming in the air and lowering down onto it… as that ring descends the form of that person reappears. Only when it reappears fully does the light disappear. I've seen that before… it was that magic that I saw back at San Miguel's cathedral, a teleportation technique as Lyn described it.

Now I remember this woman… it's the sorcerer that attacked Django and Sabata that I met when I was in my monster form. But being human now, I can feel something from her that I hadn't before: mental energy. This woman has psychic power. "Another one of Shadow's lap dogs… I don't have time for this! Get out of my way before I _make_ you!" I threaten.

"I am afraid that is not possible." she replies, still calm and collected. "The barrier that prevents you from reaching the princess is maintained through this woman's power. To remove the barrier, you will have to defeat her…" What the… why is this sorcerer referring to herself as… someone else? "That is, assuming you are capable of it." she says as she pulls her hood back.

In that moment, I am dumbstruck.

The woman behind the hood is beautiful. Despite the blue skin and red eyes, her face is pretty much flawless. And her hair is long and brown, almost exploding out of the hood as it was removed… she's about… thirty-six years old. I almost wish I didn't know that… but I know this woman. "Would you be willing to save the princess if it meant you would have to raise your hand against this woman?"

I could hardly believe who I was seeing in front of me… "M… Mom…?" There was no mistaking her, not for me. Even though it's been nearly four years since she… since she died… her face, her voice… I remember it all as vividly as the nightmares I have involving her.

There is no doubt in my mind that it's really my Mother, Hinawa. But…

_Lucas, remember when you told me you were attacked by people with blue skin and red eyes? To be honest, I didn't believe you at first. And I definitely didn't want to. But after seeing that ghoul in the Underworld turning blue and red, I had to face facts… that change in colour is a sign that Giygas has taken control of the poor guy by manipulating the evil in his heart…_

That was the answer. Blue skin and red eyes either denoted a vampire or a victim of mind control. And I knew my Mother wasn't the former. "Giygas…" I mutter, anger welling up in me again. It didn't add up, though… what possible evil could my Mom have in her heart? Did Shadow do something with her like he did with me? It doesn't matter though, it's unmistakably Giygas in control. "_What have you done to my Mother_! How _dare_ you disturb her rest!"

"If it makes any difference, the one responsible for resurrecting this human was Shadow, not I." he says. Using my Mother to speak for him…! "Regardless, now is not the time to ponder the details. You have three minutes left to defeat this woman and rescue the princess. I suggest that you not waste them... or are you afraid to harm the one who brought you into this world?" Her right hand raises… sparks are collecting around it. I definitely sense mental energy gathering there… is she preparing a PK Thunder? Or is it even hers? Is Giygas channeling his powers through her? No, none of that is the point. The point is that Giygas is making me fight my own _Mother_! My Mother, who raised me until I was nine years old, whose life was cut tragically short by the Mecha Drago trying to _save_ me… how could I possibly _fight_ her! Nothing about this was consciously right!

But a muffled wail from Princia… reminds me of my priorities. Not only is my Mother not really the one in control of her body right now, but she isn't in mortal danger as long as I don't make it that way. Right now Princia _is_ in mortal danger though, and that takes precedence. I know from Ness that the only way to break Giygas' mind control is to exhaust or knock out the victim anyway, so… I guess I have no choice. Hopefully that's all I have to do. I take my Mystical Stick off of the strap on my back and throw my inhibitions aside. "I'm sorry Mom, but I have to do this!" I say to her, not knowing if she can even hear me… or if she's even alive in there, for that matter…

"Mom" tilts her head a bit. "Apologizing to the long-deceased… I will never understand the sentimental values of a human." Giygas speaks through her. "Focus less on such meaningless things and focus more on your longevity."

She holds her hands out in front of her, and the sparks jump quickly from one hand to the other and back again. My earlier suspicions were right, she is preparing PK Thunder, and aiming her hands forward tells me that it's going to be an outright lightning strike and not a concentrated ball like I sometimes use. I quickly leap out of the way knowing this, and it widely misses, taking a nice chunk out of the cave wall from the sounds of it. She readjusts to aim for me new spot, but I simply dodge-roll to the left. This is the exact reason why I sometimes use an energy ball instead of a direct attack whenever I prepare PK Thunder; I've learned that hwile more powerful, concentrating the energy into a single direction takes time, time which any adept fighter can use to get out of the way. Using a controllable ball means I have more chances to hit the target… or send myself flying at them like an electric missile like I do in exhibition matches. I only use the direct lightning strike when I _know_ it will hit its target.

Musings aside, it looks like my mind-controlled Mother is about to blast me again, but despite the concentration she's putting into it, the sparks around her hands fizzle out. She growls in frustration. "Pathetic bag of meat... living for over thirty years and never once practicing her power? By all accounts she shouldn't even be able to maintain the shield…" Referring to this PSI as Mom's and not his… so this really was her own PSI? I wish I had known… she never used it before, and I never would've sensed it since my powers hadn't awakened before she…

No, now wasn't the time to think about that. Giygas' observations had left my Mother vulnerable. I try not to think of her as my Mother as I rush at her, reminding myself that she is just another of his unfortunate victims, and bring the dull end of my staff down at her head. Giygas snaps out of his monologue in time to _catch_ the incoming staff… that shouldn't be. I don't remember Mom being that strong… but a double-take with my mind's eye tells me that she used Offense Up. She then brings her free left hand into my face, making me realize that I've quite stupidly left myself open in my haste… but I hardly felt the impact. With Offense Up active, that should've hurt a lot more… oh wait, I still have Defense Up going, don't I? I'd completely forgotten about it after I landed down here.

Taking advantage of her confusion as to why I wasn't knocked away, I sweep my leg under hers and she falls down, letting go of my staff as she lands on her back. Seeing that this is my chance, I step over top of her and mutter a sincere apology before I bring the dull end down on her forehead…

Suddenly, my whole world goes red…

"**Strange…"**

I'm looking around… I'm not in the cavern anymore… and this place isn't all red. There's black too, it's a red, swirling background… I remember with staggering clarity and fear that I've seen this before.

"**I would have expected the one who brought such a powerful telekinetic into this world to have strong power of her own… and yet she was defeated so quickly. Humans are so fragile and weak, yet at the same time so fascinating…"**

I remember this voice all too well. It was from one of my dreams… or one of my nightmares, rather, that Giygas had plunged me into. He's speaking to me.

"**It is unfortunate that I never took the time to study your kind further. You would have made the perfect test subject were your fate not already predetermined…"**

And then the grotesque images of red painted on black disappear, and I am back in the cave… I feel dizzy all of the sudden. But when I notice my mother unconscious below me, I fight the urge to fall down. Even if she is dead, I'm not about to damage her body any more than it is now. I shake the stars out of my eyes and look down at her, hoping I didn't hit her too hard… there was a red swelling on her forehead, but otherwise it didn't look that bad.

…Wait, red? _Swelling_?

I get down on my knees beside her for a closer look, to make sure I'm not seeing things. There is definitely swelling… no way. I put a finger to her neck to take her pulse… I can feel it. Her blood is flowing… her chest is even rising and falling like she's breathing…

I can hardly believe it. Mom is… _alive_…! She seems to be unconscious, but she's _alive_!

Princia's muffled squeak snaps me out of my trance again; she's still going down into the molten lead! Mom would have to wait for a minute or two, I have to take care of this now! I get back up and go to the edge of the cliff, feeling around with my staff for the shield… it's gone, just as Giygas said it would be. I hop down and land on my feet at the not-so-steep incline below, sliding down a bit before stopping a few feet short of the vat. The heat coming from it is almost as bad as when I was wandering around in that volcano searching for one of the seven needles. She has about thirty seconds before her foot gets dipped into that… how am I going to deal with this? Even if I knew where the winch was getting cranked from up there, I'd never make it there in time! And there's no way I can use PK Freeze to cool down something this _hot_…

There was only one option: I'd have to break the chain and catch Princia, then land somewhere safe with her. This was risky… if I screwed up, we could _both_ wind up in the lead. But it's my only chance to save her, so I have to try. At the very least, I can use PK Freeze to make the chain more brittle, so I aim my hands at it and let loose a frigid blast at it, just above Princia's hands. And now comes the tricky part… I gather PSI power into my feet and jump straight at her, dropping the staff and using that hand to grab her by the waist, while the other holds a charge of PK Love pointed at the frozen part of the chain. As soon as I know I won't let go of her, I release the energy. Just as hoped, I hear the chain break and shatter, and I carry her well over the vat and onto solid ground… then stumble forward because I'm holding a human being with one arm. I hardly feel the impact because Defense Up is still going, but I'm not so sure about Princia. I quickly get off of her and ask, "Are you alright?"

She nods a slow "yes." With a muffled grunt. Realizing she can't verbally reply because of that damned gag, I slip my hands behind her head, unclip the back of it and throw it in a random direction. "Oh my goodness, Lucas…" She pants, exhausted. "If you'd c-come any later, I'd…"

"Don't think about it, Princia." I tell her, trying not to go down that train of thought myself as I try to figure out the remains of the chain binding her wrists together. As soon as I do, her arms come around me in a lazy hug… I'm quickly noticing she's less energetic than usual. I look at her face… she's looking a little pale. That's right, she spent the last hour or so dangling over molten lead. The fumes from that can cause all kinds of unwanted problems. I put my hand to her head and do a quick PK Healing to at least lessen the damage to her head… it would be best if she got some actual medical attention though. "What happened to you? I wanted to see you again sometime, but not like _this_…"

I immediately regret asking, because she bursts into tears then, and _that's _when her hug tightens. Not crushingly tight, though. "S-Shadow… he… he attacked the palace himself…" she sobs. "I-it was horrible… h-he... t-there were bodies everywhere…" I can feel my hatred for Shadow get even bigger. Not only did he kidnap Princia… but he tore through everyone else in his way to get to her? That _monster_… doesn't he have _any_ value for life whatsoever? No… I shouldn't be questioning that, he said so himself just a few minutes ago that he doesn't. That's the kind of person I'm dealing with, I shouldn't be surprised by this.

All I can do for her is what she used to do for me, holding her close while she cries onto my shoulder. "Oh Princia, I'm so sorry…" I tell her. I can't help but feel responsible for what's happened… Shadow only went after Princia to get to me, after all—

A scream interrupts my thoughts, a woman's scream. It came from Mom! I quickly look in her direction to see that she's standing on her feet, but clutching her head and groaning… what's happening to her! Forgetting about Princia for the moment, I rush in her direction, clambering up the rock as fast as I can. By the time I get up there, the screaming has stopped… concerned, I peak my head up over the edge, seeing that she's just standing there, staring at the ground. She pulled her long, flowing brown hair out from her hood during her fit or whatever it was, blocking her face from view.

"Mom…?" I address her nervously as I finish climbing up, now on level ground with her. What is this rotten feeling…? My instincts are telling me to get away from her, but I'm not about to just abandon her. "Mom, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I ask, cautiously stepping closer to her.

But when I get too close, her head shoots up to look me in the eye… I gasp when I see her face. Her skin has become as pale as a ghost, and her eyes… the whole of her eyes have become as black as the robe she's wearing. Her expression was an angry one, much angrier than I'd ever seen her be, and it spoke of no good intentions. I feel something strike me in the stomach, something I can't see, and it sends me flying off of the cliff… I'm heading right into the vat of lead! I quickly try to levitate my body with my PSI to change my fall trajectory, and… I just barely miss it, hitting the ground behind the vat hard. Thank goodness Defense Up is still active. But what on earth was _that_! It couldn't have been PSI, or else I would've seen it coming, but I didn't know I was being attacked until it already hit… I get back on my feet, just in time to see a cloud of black engulfing my mother…

"Mom! What's going on! Mom!" I call out to her. The response is a laugh… a cold, malevolent laugh that is her response sends a chill down my spine. The voice is deep and heavily distorted, and definitely not hers… the black cloud starts to clear up, and when it does, my Mother has disappeared.

I fall to my knees, my body shaking in rage until my fist slams the ground… no… my Mother… she was right there, living and breathing… and now she's gone again… "Lucas…" Princia is walking over to me. I can't bring myself to look at her right now, not while tears are starting to collect in my eyes. "Was that… your mother?" I can only nod in reply. She puts a hand onto my shoulder… strange, for some reason it feels different than when Lyn does it… "What happened to her…?"

Yes… what indeed… Giygas' mind control had been broken, that much I knew; there were no signs that he was controlling her again. And yet… something else was wrong with her, something I hadn't encountered before. But what could it be? I wipe the tears from my eyes, my anger returning… there was one person who I was sure knew the answer. "I'll bet Shadow knows…" I say, getting onto my feet. "I just hope I can resist the urge to kill him long enough for him to tell me…"

Unfortunately I'm not exaggerating. The intent to kill, to destroy, this horrible feeling I've been trying to resist for so long… whenever I think of Shadow now, I can't hold it back. I just… I just hate him _so much_… he's manipulating and ending the lives of people for either his own crazy goals, or simply because he _can_. And the Gods directly created that _thing_? Even with everything he revealed to me, I still have more questions than answers… the one thing I know for sure now that Shadow can't be allowed to continue his plans. I look at Princia, and she doesn't seem surprised at all by what I said. She only narrows her eyes and nods in understanding. "Then let's go… I'd like to have a few words with him myself."

Wait, she wants to go too? "Princia… are you sure? It's going to be dangerous, and you're not well…" I feel obligated to ask.

"Perhaps… but where else am I going to go?" she counters. And she's right, the way I came in here – and the only real way I know out of here – was via a huge drop off that we couldn't possibly climb out of. And reflecting on it, perhaps she would be safer if she were with me. I'll just have to hope those lead fumes didn't affect her too much.

"Alright… but be careful." I agree reluctantly.

Princia nods and directs her gaze to the side of the room opposite where I entered, pointing up to another cliff that I failed to notice before. The room's design was symmetrical. "I was awake when Shadow brought me in here, so… that way leads right to him, if I'm not mistaken." she informs me. Knowing that I climb up the rocks, and once I'm up on top, take Princia's hand when she gets close enough to help her up. But when she does get up here, she stumbles forward and I have to catch her to prevent her from falling. "Sorry… I'm still a little dizzy."

I sigh in irritation. "I was afraid of that…" We probably have to move as fast as possible, but we can't do that if she can barely walk or run on her own two feet. The most apparent solution is to carry her. I crouch down in front of her and say, "Get on my back. It'll be faster if I carry you."

She seems a bit hesitant at first, but eventually she nods and says, "Sorry… I didn't mean to be a burden…" before climbing up onto me.

Hm… she's not much heavier than Lyn. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault you were suspended over boiling lead." I tell her before taking her legs under my arms. So I don't exert any more strength and so I can run as fast as I need to, I give myself an Offense Up boost before getting to my feet. "Hold on tight, okay?" I tell her, and she wraps her arms around my upper body so she won't fall off of anything. Once I'm convinced she's secure, I start running down the narrow, barely-lit tunnel. This one is much longer than the last, that's for sure.

Princia sees fit to start some conversation since this trip obviously won't be over quickly. "So, um… Lucas?" she addresses me. "I… heard the whole conversation that you and Shadow had… about those Gods and everything…"

Princia had heard that? But she wasn't with us… darn it, Shadow must've had the conversation rigged into her room too, so she'd hear everything. Wonderful… and I was hoping that she was in _less_ danger than the Smashers and I. "It's hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Especially for me…" she says. "To be honest, my father and I are atheists. We don't believe in divine beings… do you think what he said was true?"

Princia is an atheist? Well… I'm actually not sure what to say about that. Hers was a civilization based on both magic and science, and they'd mixed them together quite well… but I'd think any people who used magic would have something to worship for it. But I shouldn't judge, I don't know a whole lot about Magican society. "I wish it weren't. It scares me that the mysterious 'third party' in this whole mess is actually our creators… but if it _is_ true, then it explains a lot about what happened…"

"It's so sad…" she tells me. "Everyone's trying to use you like some kind of weapon… I can't believe such people exist. Divine will or not, there's no excuse for the pain you've went through." I silently thank her… I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. "What are you going to do about it, though?"

"…I hadn't really thought that far ahead." I confess. "I only learned all this now… my focus was on saving you. Now that you're alright, the only thing I can do now is find Lyn, get my answers from Shadow and stop him. I'll worry about the 'Gods' when this madness is over."

"Hmm… one thing at a time, right?" She asks.

"Yeah… at least that's the plan." I reply. I'm quickly learning that with Shadow involved, I can't ever be sure of anything.

The conversation comes to a halt as we see a light at the end of the tunnel. The first thing I notice is a large, glass wall sealing us in a small dead-end. Looking out it, I can see that it's actually a viewing window into another, much larger cavern where the immediate area is lit up much better than the previous parts of the cave. Its centre is a single, wide pillar rising out from the totally black depths, with two narrow stone walkways granting passage to either side. To the right is where I guess the normal entrance is, and to the left…

"Ah, right on time. I trust you enjoyed your quick reunion with your dear mother?"

I grit my teeth in rage. To the left of the expansive room is Shadow himself, lounging comfortably in that black throne I saw him in earlier, even holding what looks like a wine glass in his left hand! The throne is actually floating using similar technology that the television screen was. I briefly look below the chair, only barely registering a pair of people beneath him, one man in purple and the other a little child wearing rags, before looking back to him with the question that's on my mind. I set Princia down as quickly and carefully as I can manage before pounding my fists onto the glass and screaming at him, "What the hell did you do to her!"

His eyes widen – I can only barely tell from here, that's how big the room is – and his hand covers his mouth as if he's shocked. "Oh my! That's the thanks I get for bringing her back from the grave for you? I thought you'd be ecstatic at seeing her lovely face again!" he says in surprise. I can tell just fine without my PSI that he's faking, though.

"The lives of my friends and family are not yours to play with!" I retort. "And that didn't answer my question!"

"Ohh… you must've seen the darkness coming out of her." He replies. I'm about to ask what the hell he's talking about, before he already starts to explain. "I'd originally planned to have Giygas control her as-is, but the grief that came from learning of your fate wasn't enough for him to get a grip on her mind… so I struck a deal with a creature of darkness from ages past. Simply put, it was to let Giygas control Hinawa through her for a little while to keep you busy for a minute or two, and then her body would be her vessel permanently."

I only understood about half of what he said, but I got the part about her body no longer being hers. "_What_!" Both Princia and I shout. "You sold the body of Lucas' dead mother to some demon… just to preoccupy him for a few minutes!" she says. "You twisted, insensitive _fiend_!"

"Bleh. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but your insults are as dull and harmless as you are." Shadow scoffs, waving his hand at her.

"Then how about the pointy end of a katana?"

My head immediately turns to the right side of the room upon hearing Lyn's voice. She's just arrived in the room, marching across the narrow walkway. She's awfully cross right now. "Lyn! You're alright!" I call out to her.

She looks to me and smiles, a genuine smile that isn't force through her anger, before she looks back to Shadow with a frown. "Yes, I'm fine… but I promise you this monster dressed like a man won't be when I'm done with him!" she replies.

Shadow's response is a whistle of approval. "Finally, a _decent_ taunt out of one of you." he says. "And so we finally meet face to face, Lyndis… but I'm afraid you'll have to save your Mani Katti for a more immediate problem. If you'll direct your gaze below my hoverchair…"

He points downward with his free hand, down towards the two people I barely took notice of before, inspecting them more closely. The child in the rags is pretty much that, a frightened-looking boy with disheveled blonde hair that looks to be wearing nothing but a dirty, torn-up blanket. The man at his side is worthy of more description though; the dark purple clothing is actually a very bulky-looking battle armor that looks quite difficult to move around in, and yet it covers his entire body. His helmet is off and resting in the crook of his left arm. His face, while it looks composed, tells nothing of the sadness and distress he's going through right now. His hair is a darker blonde than the boy's, done up into a crew-cut style. In his right hand is a large, double-sided axe.

"What…? You are…" Lyn says with a normal tone of voice… her anger has been replaced with surprise.

"Lady Lyndis of Caelin…" the man says. His voice is low, but not gruff. "I wish we had met again under better circumstances…"

This man… knows her? "Prince Zephiel and General Murdock of Bern…" Lyn says. His name… she knows him too? What the heck is going on! "What is the meaning of this? Why are you here! Don't tell me you've sided with that madman!"

General Murdock closes his eyes and replies, "Our being here is not by choice…" He then starts walking across the stone walkway on his side of the room, towards the centre platform where Lyn is.

Immediately after he says that, Lyn faces Shadow again and shouts, "What have you done, Shadow!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Shadow says, his hoverchair floating down to the scared prince on the ground. "I'm using Prince Zephiel here as collateral."

Then in one swift motion of his free hand, Shadow throws the rags off of Zephiel. Thankfully he is wearing some black shorts to keep his dignity intact… but not much else. His face's pale skin doesn't match up with the rest of his body… there's all sorts of black and red. I can tell that these are bruises and welts of some kind, and every inch of his body save for his head is covered in them. His face remains stoic, and his body barely moves an inch. "Oh my…!" Princia gasps at the sight.

"As you can see, Giygas already went to town on him." Shadow continues. "And there's much worse to come, unless Murdock does what I want… and on today's agenda is a duel to the death with none other than the Noble Lady of Caelin."

"_What_!" Lyn, Princia and I bellow at the same time.

Shadow lets out his usual cackle before saying, "Yes… I'll bet you all thought this was a trap for Lucas, didn't you? I'm afraid not… if that were the case, I would've made sure Princia would be dead now, and he'd be having a psychotic breakdown. Nope, instead my target tonight is Lyndis!" He then resumes his psychotic laughing.

The trap was for… _Lyn_? Not _me_? Of course… _this_ is why Shadow wanted both Lyn and I to come here… damnit, why didn't I think of that sooner! But… it wouldn't have mattered. Princia still needed to be saved, and if we had done anything other than what Shadow had asked, she would be dead now. But… his desire is to kill someone just a precious to me! No matter who I'd saved, someone I cared deeply for would've died! "But… _why_? Why the sudden interest in _me_!" Lyn asks him.

His laughing stops abruptly, and he leans forward in his chair… I can feel whatever nerve I'd worked up breaking down when I look in his eyes. For a moment, when he looks at her with a sinister grin, his pupils are a glowing, blood red. When they return to normal, he speaks. "My dear, I thought that would be obvious… your stubborn desire to protect Lucas has made you shove your nose into matters that don't concern you." His smile quickly changes to a frown, and anger stains his voice. "You're an emotional crutch to him. He uses you to help work through his madness. _Your closeness to him is a very big hindrance to my plans that I can't allow to continue_!"

His sudden display of rage, along with the realization of his plans, makes my heart skip a beat. He brought Lyn here to have her killed… just because she's _with me_? Just because she's _too close to me_? That's… that's just _sick_…!

"Buuut…" Shadow calms down. "I figured I might as well take advantage of his feelings towards you. Look at him now… his mind is starting to unravel just from realizing what you've gotten yourself into." he continues. And when I notice that my fingers are pinching against the glass in my rage, I realize he's right. Lyn looks up at me in concern. I can't bring myself to look her in the eyes right now, and turn my gaze to the ground beside me… "He he he… I wonder what would happen to him if your life was cut short before his very eyes?"

Said eyes widen at the mere thought of that. Lyn… she's my closest friend, even closer than Ness. I feel so safe when she's around me, even safer than when Princia used to console me… if she were killed, if I lost her, I…

I'd savor every last moment of vengeance on the one responsible.

_Ugh_…! I clutch my forehead as it starts to ache… even _thinking_ of her demise is making me lose control…!

"Maybe so… but surely you're making killing me sound much easier than it is." Lyn taunts him. I look back to her, surprised… even faced with all of this… she hasn't lost any of her courage? She even looks at me again and smiles, and says, "Don't worry, Lucas… no one is dying here today. Shadow's only given me one more reason to fight against him by taking someone I know hostage…" She turns to Murdock. "I just wish it didn't mean having to fight _against_ someone I know in order to save them… but I'll do what I must."

I… I see… so that's why… it's not just about me this time. Shadow has taken two of Lyndis' own friends prisoner, and she's determined to save them… even if she's forced to fight those friends in order to save them. Her courage and determination start to renew my hope that everything will be alright… I smile and nod to her, and she nods back before facing down General Murdock, who has completely the journey to the centre platform. "I understand… just know that I will not throw this fight. I serve not this man, only Prince Zephiel, and will do whatever I must to protect him." he tells her earnestly. "But just the same… I hope you are able to find a way to save us all."

"Hah hah hah! You only wish!" Shadow cackles, sounding very amused. "You must be convinced this is the best I can do. You'd be wrong…" …What? Is he saying that there's more to this trap…? "Buuut… now probably isn't the time to worry about that. For now, Lyndis, you should just focus on fending off Murdock's Tomahawk." As he says that, he raises his free hand… it's quickly darkening in colour, glowing with a very dark hue. That colour fires off of his hand like a gunshot, sending two spheres of dark-purple into the air, circling around each other. My eyes trace these dizzying spheres as best as possible until they start to descend… and land on the narrow platforms around the centre pillar, exploding into black dust on impact. And it was an impact that even shook the glass with a "thunk." When the dust cleared, the walkways were gone… there was nowhere for Lyn or Murdock to go now. "Just one last thing. Lucas and Princia, if you were thinking of interfering, don't. One _scratch_ on that glass, and I'll kill Zephiel on the spot."

Actually, he might be surprised to know that thought _hadn't_ crossed my mind. But just to make sure I don't make a stupid mistake, I quickly back off from the glass. "You think she actually _needs_ my help?" I taunt him.

He shrugs and replies, "Eh, I guess we'll see, huh?" He sips the wine in his glass, resuming his comfortable slouch in his hoverchair. "Well, enough talk. Have at each other already! Else I might get bored and finish off Zephiel for fun."

If I know Shadow as well as I think, it's probably no lie. Regardless, it's enough to get Murdock to put on his helmet and ready his "Tomahawk" as Shadow called it. He is the one to initiate combat, charging at Lyn with a speed I didn't think was attainable with all of that armor on. Ganondorf is almost the pinnacle of physical strength and wears almost as much armor, and this man is _faster_ than him. He takes his axe in two hands and tries to bring it down on Lyn, who dives to the side and allows the weapon to wedge itself in the ground. Getting out of the way was probably wise, he must be ridiculously strong to get his axe that deep into the ground… let alone pull it out with little effort, and follow up with a backhand swing.

Lyn finally draws her Mani Katti to intercept the battle axe. But try as she might to hold her ground, Murdock is just too strong and she refuses to let go of her katana as usual, and the force of the swing causes her to stumble backward. The General doesn't let up, swinging a weapon as bigger than his chest plate – which is big enough on its own – at a remarkable speed that Lyn is having a surprising amount of trouble keeping up with. Her blade arm is nearly as fast as Meta Knight's, but with every attack of Murdock's she is forced to block, her body is constantly sent flailing backwards in ways I'm sure she isn't intending, and correcting for it is taking precious seconds she could be using to fight back.

Perhaps a bit too quickly, Lyn is getting pushed back towards the edge of the pillar. Not sure if she realizes it or not, I shout to her, "Lyn, you're too close to the edge!" That seems to get her attention, and she finally manages to bend her body in a way that lets her sidestep and jump away from Murdock's relentless axe swings, and away from what would surely be a deadly fall. I sigh in relief. Now it's Lyn's turn to go on the attack. She rushes straight at Murdock with her katana held in both hands, like she's going to stab him. It looks like she's going for one of his legs, but the General displays some decent dexterity in moving the limb out of the way without falling over with all of that armor; in all of five attempts, the Mani Katti either bounces off of his armor or his axe, or just misses completely. It looks like he's impervious to her blade, but I know Lyn better than that; she's trying to go for the open creases in Murdock's massive suit of armor. If there's any kind of opening in your opponent's armor, any at all, you go for it. She taught me that.

Finally, Lyn gets the Mani Katti through one of those creases, into his left arm when he tried to deflect her blade again and got caught in the elbow. A slight grunt is the only sign of pain he reveals though, and he's quick to retaliate with a mighty downward swing of the Tomahawk. Lyn removes her katana and backsteps just in time to avoid it… though I swear it must have missed her by just an inch or two. But the counterattack isn't done; Murdock uses the axe in the ground as leverage to body-check her. It happens so fast that Lyn is still airborne from the backstep, and thus can't get out of the way. I can only watch in horror as she gasps in pain and is sent flying backward a few feet, over to the centre of the pillar on her back. My god… that must've been like being hit by a speeding truck. She gets no time to recover, as Murdock jumps as high as he can, bringing his axe down in what would be an ending blow.

"_Look out_!" I call out to her, not knowing whether or not she sees the impending doom. She starts to move again just in time to evade it… but it was a seriously close call; I can see that it clipped the back of her ponytail. Regardless, she gets the break she was looking for and dashes underneath Murdock's legs, then slashes the creases at his knees with a speed and precision I've only ever seen from her. His grunt of pain is more audible this time, and he falls to one knee as Lyn emerges on the other side. For a moment it looks like she's going to get through this alright, but those hopes are replaced with fear when I see her clutching her chest in pain with her free arm. She was hit really hard… she could have broken ribs. It almost makes my own chest physically hurt, remembering the time when my ribcage had been shattered in a fight with one of Porky's chimeras, the Steel Mechorilla, which was a robotic gorilla with wrecking balls for arms. One of those wrecking balls had hit me squarely in the chest… the pain from the shattered bones was so excruciating that I couldn't focus to heal it myself; I needed my friend Kumatora to do it for me. And now Lyn could be suffering from that right now… oh, how I wish I could help Lyn now! But if I do, Zephiel will die…

But it looks like it might not be as big of a problem as I'd feared. Murdock is trying his best to get back to his feet, but whatever damage Lyn did to him is preventing this, and he falls back to his knees – both of them this time – with a clatter of metal. It looks like his armor is finally working against him… his legs were clearly still well enough for him to move them, otherwise he would've completely fallen down. But they _have_ sustained enough damage so that they're no longer strong enough to support his heavy armor. He's pretty much stuck in that spot unless he removes it… and with Lyn's amazing speed, even when she's injured that would be curtains for him. So… is the fight over…?

No, it's not. In a move of desperation, Murdock _throws_ his Tomahawk at Lyn. She has plenty of lead time to move this time though, and just sidesteps it without a scratch. But she seethes and clutches her ribs tighter… even the slightest movement hurts? Then they must be broken… but surely without his weapon, Murdock can't continue this fight—

That's when I notice the Tomahawk very quickly arcing in the air in a way I didn't know was possible. Like a boomerang, it spins around the open space of the cavern and begins to _fly back at Lyn_!

"Lyn, it's coming back!" I warn her, and she turns her head to see the double-sided axe aimed right for her back. Reacting too late to go any other way, she can only dive forwards – towards Murdock, who is waiting both with an open hand for the axe, and a closed fist that connects brutally with her jaw. "Lyn!" I shout in horror as her body defies gravity and sprawls backward through the air from the force of the punch, and she lands on her back _way_ too close to the General.

"Forgive me, Lady Lyndis, but I must." Murdock says, raising his axe with the clear intention of chopping Lyn in half at the torso.

"_No_!" I shout. If I don't do something, Lyn is going to die! I get ready to bust through the glass—

"Ah-ah-ah!" Shadow interrupts my thoughts, his hand violently clasping the top of Prince Zephiel's head. "Not one crack…"

I stop… but… _Lyn_…! Murdock brings the axe down… I turn my head away and shut my eyes tightly, I can't bare to look!

No matter how exciting flowing blood is…

_CLANG!_

Wait… flesh doesn't "clang…"

I slowly open one eye, afraid that my breaking mind is playing tricks on me… and then I look with both eyes wide. Lyn is still alive! She's holding the Mani Katti above her… no, _against_ her waist to prevent Murdock from bisecting her. One hand is even against the sharp end of her blade to support it and is oozing out blood, and I'd wager her dress is cut up from the katana, but against all odds she's managing to hold off Murdock's strength. Sword and axe are struggling against each other as he tries to push it down, but to no avail.

"What? You've gotta be kidding me…" Shadow says, seemingly disappointed. "You can't outmuscle some little girl? You'd better not be faking! You know the consequences!"

"Believe you me, I put all of my strength into that swing." Murdock curtly replies. "How she's stopping it baffles even me." It's not a lie, I could feel the reluctant but still very much existent killing intent behind that swing. Even so though, he's doing his darnedest to force that Tomahawk down on her… it's a losing battle despite this miracle. Lyn needs to figure out a way out of this and _fast_.

And in typical Lyn fashion, she goes for the move no one expects she can pull off; despite threatening to be cut by her own blade, she brings a leg up and kicks at Murdock's helmet with all her might. It makes him back off _just_ enough for her to get out from under the deadlock and retaliate. She slashes at the gauntlets holding the Tomahawk, making him grunt in pain as he reflexively drops it. She's quick to kick it out of the way, and before he can reach for it, she puts the tip of the Mani Katti to his throat… threatening to puncture it at the slightest move.

It's over. There's nothing Murdock can do that won't result in his death. Lyn has won… I let out a shaky sigh of relief… that was way too close to comfort…

I just wish more blood was shed.

I try my hardest to ignore my other self's inane words and shout, "Way to go, Lyn!" She looks back to me and smiles, but then nearly collapses and clutches her chest… my relief vanishes when I realize she's still injured. Regardless, she quickly readjusts the Mani Katti so Murdock doesn't take any cheap shots.

"Well, that was disappointing…" Shadow complains, shaking his head. "_That's_ all there is to Bern's top General? That was _pathetic_. Not worth the trouble Giygas went through, surely." Before anyone can say anything, he picks up Zephiel roughly by the arm and hurls him right at Murdock. Lyn quickly takes the blade away from his neck so he can catch him… I cringe when I see his nearly-completely unclothed body collide with the armor-wearing warrior. The Prince is out of danger… now I can get down there and help Lyn! I get back from the glass wall and prepare PK Love. "Hey, hey, hey, _hey_, _HEY_! Hold your horses, kid! I did _not_ say I was done!"

I stop charging up the blast just as he starts fiddling around with the keypad on the arm of his hoverchair, and completely disperse it when I hear two surprised shouts from somewhere in the cave… unfamiliar voices, one male and one female I think. This is confirmed when two people quickly drop from above… to be abruptly stopped by chains, the same kind that was holding Princia before. What… who are _these_ two? I don't recognize either of them. One is a well-built man with fiery-red hair, and the other is a pretty woman with long, light-blue hair. Both of them are clothed in just their undergarments.

"Wh… what?" Lyn gasps. I look to her to see that she is staring at them in awe and fear. "Lord Eliwood? Ninian…?"

All my hopes of a successful, clean end to this disaster are again reduced to nearly nothing as I hear Lyn speaks the names of them both… Lord Eliwood and Ninian… she told me about these two. Eliwood is the recently-crowned king of Pherae, and Ninian is his wife. She fought alongside these people… two of her dearest friends… my feeling of dread doubles in intensity as Shadow flies his hoverchair up to them, both of them struggling in vain against the chairs binding their wrists together, until he throws his wine glass away and puts a finger to the back of their both of their heads. "This is what you might call 'Plan B…'" he says.

"What are they doing here! _Release them now_!" Lyn roars, frightening me… she's suddenly so angry. I've _never_ seen her this angry before, or become so angry so quick! "They have nothing to do with this!"

"_They have nothing to do with this_!" Shadow repeats in a mocking tone. "Classic heroic line. Well, _I don't give a shit_." he counters. "Right now I'm in a _very_ foul mood—" I can clearly tell that's a lie. "—that you're still in one piece. And when I'm in a foul mood, I vent by murdering something… the question is, which one?"

_"Don't you dare_!" Lyn screams at him.

"I wonder…" Shadow mutters, completely ignoring Lyn's protests and leaning his head towards Eliwood's. "…Should it be Lord Eliwood? Pherae would be without its king and would surely plunge in to chaos… or…" His head swings the other way to Ninian. "…The lovely Human-Dragon Halfling Ninian? Seeing her mercilessly torn apart would surely break Eliwood's heart… but then he'd be all yours! Reunited with your first love, wouldn't that be grand?"

First… love…? Eliwood was a former love interest of Lyn's? Why… why does that make my heart ache…?

"Oh, this is so frustrating!" Shadow says, throwing both of his arms up into the air. "Both scenarios sound equally delicious! A kingdom without a king, or a love-hate relationship? I can't decide…" He leans forward in his chair, between both captives, and sneers at Lyn. "Tell you what… why don't _you_ pick for me?"

"Wh… _what_!" Lyn, Princia and I all shout at once.

"You heard me." Shadow stated. "I want you to pick which one dies." I'm silent… speechless. What… what kind of cruelty is this! Is he really making Lyn pick who lives and who dies _out of her friends_!

"Wh… what…" Lyn stammers. Her Mani Katti slips out of her hand, hitting the ground with a clatter. "I-I… no, I…"

"And I suggest you pick quickly." Shadow says, moving his hands back to their heads. "Or I might get impatient and kill them both." I look hopelessly between both Lyn and Shadow's dangling prisoners… Lyn isn't saying anything… I can't blame her. How do you choose between your best friends which one sees another tomorrow?

Easy, just pick one and get the pain over wi—

_SHUT UP_! Damnit… there's nothing Lyn can do! The only possible thing she _could_ do is try getting Shadow away from them, and he's _way_ too high up for her to reach! I… I have to do something!

"Lucas, don't even think about it." Shadow says, looking straight at me with that mad grin. "They'll both die if that glass breaks. What would Lyndis think of you then?"

"B-but… _no_…!" I complain, using every ounce of restraint in my body not to tear through this glass wall.

"Lyn…" Ninian interrupts the argument. "You know what you must do… my lifespan is limited anyway…"

"Ninian!" Lyn gasps.

"Ninian, no! What are you saying!" Eliwood shouts at his wife, very concerned.

Abruptly, Shadow reaches both his hands around the _fronts_ of their faces this time and covers both of their mouths with his hands, pinching them shut. "_You two_ don't get a say in this. It's Lyn's decision and Lyn's alone." he scolds them. Despite this they try to shout out, but without much success. "Make your decision faster, Lyndis. I might lose my temper if they bite my hands."

"N-no… please stop… _please_ _stop_!" Lyn sobs… she's starting to cry. I can tell from here that she's crying…. "Don't hurt them… _please_…"

"'Don't hurt them,' she says…" Shadow says, mocking her voice again. "_Well_… if you're having _that_ much trouble making a choice, I _guess_ I can give you a third one…"

_Ba-dump._

"Ah!" My body suddenly jerks backward, like my heart just beat so hard it threatened to leave my chest. It's quickly followed by an incredible amount of pain that is so intense I can't stand up… no… _no_! Not _now_! Any time but _now_! "_AGH_!" I shout in agony as my body feels like it's beginning to bulge out in places, burning and freezing everywhere, alternating between both… damnit, this can't happen _now_!

"Lucas! What's wrong!" Princia shouts in shock.

I feel my hands starting to transform into claws, pushing themselves against the ground as I try to hold myself up… "P-Princia… _get back_!"

"Hah hah hah! Oh wow! That timing was spot-on!" Shadow cackles. "Mind you I'd planned for this to happen around now, but this is just _perfect_…"

My wings burst out of my back… I cry out in unbridled pain, it feels like my back just exploded! "Lucas… _what have you done to him_!" Princia shouts angrily.

"Does it matter? There's bigger fish to fry right now." Shadow brushes her off. "Now where was I… oh yeah, the third choice for Lyndis down there. Right…" I fight through the pain gripping my body to look at her… she's staring back at me with wide eyes… damnit, I can't tell what she's feeling! She turns back to Shadow when he addresses her. "If you really, _really_ don't want to see Eliwood of Ninian explode into a shower of blood, there's only one alternative I'll accept…" Damnit… stop beating around the bush, you psychopath! _What is it_! "I want you to take that Mani Katti… and ram it right through your beating, mortal heart."

…

Wh-wh… _what_!

"What…?" Lyn and Princia gasp at the same time...

"I wish you people would stop saying that." Shadow complains. "You can hear me loud and clear."

"_BASTARD_!" I shriek, about to tear my way through the glass, when Shadow pinches down on Eliwood's and Ninian's mouths with so much pressure that his hands can barely muffle their screams. But… _NO_! He's using their _lives_… as motivation to make her… commit _suicide_!

"Choose now, Lyndis. Eliwood, Ninian or yourself?" Shadow says bluntly. Lyn just stands there for a moment, tears streaming down her face… she starts to bend down, her hair shadowing her eyes…

And she picks up the Mani Katti…

"_No_! Lyn, what are you doing!" I cry out to her, ignoring my pain when I think of what she's about to do! "_Don't do it_! You…"

_Don't worry, Lucas… no one is dying here today._

"_YOU TOLD ME NO ONE WAS GOING TO DIE_!" I shout out to her as a last resort to make her stop, as she holds the Mani Katti as far away from her chest as she can, but with it pointed right where her heart is. Please… something, _anything_, make her _stop_!

But why should I stop it…? She's about to spill blood… I want to see blood…

Goddamnit, _no I don't_! Everyone shouts at her to rethink this… Princia, Eliwood and Ninian with their mouthes released… damnit, even Murdock and the silent-until-now _Zephiel_! But… _she's not stopping_!

She looks up at me… I look into her eyes…

They're… so blue…

"Lucas… I'm sorry…"

_RIP_!

She thrusts the blade right into her chest…

The moment I see the other end of the bloodied Mani Katti protrude out of her back… it's as if time stops… I can't feel anything… I register the horrified shouts of everyone in the room… I know I'm shouting the loudest, primal screams of sorrow and fear… I know Princia is holding me back, trying to keep me from breaking the glass and endangering the others… but I don't _feel_ it… I know it's all happening, but at the same time I don't really _feel_ it…

My only focus is on Lyn… as she slumps forward… and lands on the ground with a thud that echoes throughout my mind.

No… this… this can't be happening…

But it just did.

Lyn… Lyn can't be dead…

She is…

My best friend can't be dead!

_She is_!

"Let that be a lesson to you, Lucas." Shadow's voice pierces through my chaotic mind. "Your fate is to be a weapon. Weapons aren't made with the intent of protecting or loving… they're made only to destroy things. This is the fate that awaits everything around you… whether you mean it or not, the people around you die _because of you_. _That_ is your fate, your _purpose_. Petty things like friendship and love have no place in a weapon's existence."

That's… that's… that can't be…

But isn't that what this was all about?

She… she… she…

She would've died eventually anyway.

In that moment, everything changes around me. I'm… back in my house… back in the nightmare… my whole house is covered in blood… it's on fire… just like in the reflection… everyone… everyone is around me… Ness, Paula, Princia… _Lyn_… they're at my feet… all… all covered in blood… they're not moving… they're… they're dead…

_"That's right. They're all going to wind up like this eventually."_

I slowly look up to the mirror, looking at my reflection… my twisted self… my split personality…

_"You tried to protect everyone, and look what it got you… the one you wanted to protect the _most_ died right before your eyes. There's no changing fate, Lucas. Causing death is what you were _made_ to do."_

I… I… I think… he's right… I tried everything… I tried to save everyone… but… who have I saved…?

The mirror cracks.

_"You might as well just give into your urges, your passion for destruction. Use it to rip apart the one who did this to you."_

The mirror shatters. The other me bursts out of the hole in the wall… he reaches out with his arms…

I don't feel hurt from it… I feel… feel… _good_... warm and… and…

_Angry_…

The first thing I hear when my mind returns to reality is the sound of breaking glass…

* * *

**A/N:** And so it's finally happened. The madness has taken over.

This arc is going towards its climax. I suspect there will be one, maybe two official chapters left. The ending, I promise, will surprise you. Hell, I'll bet that _this_ chapter had you on the edge of your seat.

Well, other than that I have nothing else to say, other than to stay tuned. R&R at your leisure.


	29. Epilogue: Full Circle

**A/N:** It's time for the climax. Lucas, fully maddened, versus a being that claims to neither live nor die. Shadow has proven himself to be powerful, manipulative and devoid of sympathy for other people. Who will prevail in this showdown? Read on…

Note: I've decided that this will be the last official chapter of this arc, and there will be some things pertaining to the next arc that can't be explained through Lucas' POV alone. There will also be events from Shadow's and "someone else's" perspective. While I'd prefer just to keep it with one person per chapter, I simply can't do that without spitting out several more chapters at once. So, it's all being put in here.

* * *

_Epilogue: Full Circle_

-Lucas-

She lays on the ground at my feet, motionless…

Why… why… why…

Her blood is pouring out from the wound she inflicted upon herself…

Why… why… why…

Why did she of all people have to die…?

Why… why… why…

Why does this happen to everyone around me…!

_Why_… _Why_… _Why_…

Lyn…!

_WHY_! _WHY_! _WHY_!

"I take it from your standing over her that you're having trouble coping with her death." Shadow… "Get used to it, kid. When your purpose is to be a tool of destruction, this is what happens to everything around you eventually."

Kill…

I turn to face him. He hovers over me with that maddening smile. If this man didn't exist… she'd still be here with me…!

_I'M GOING TO KILL HIM_!

It's like my body moves on its own, acting solely on my desire to tear this miserable excuse for a person apart. I roar like a wild animal and leap at him, ready to grab and rip into him with my claws.

_VENGEANCE_!

He flies upward and out of the way, and I claw into the rock wall instead. I pay the new crater I've dug into no mind, looking for my target.

There, higher up the wall. "Come and get me…"

He and the hoverchair then fly into the wall… and disappear into it. "DON'T YOU DARE RUN FROM ME!" I roar, climbing up the wall to where he flew into. My hand goes through it like air… I go through it, to find a tunnel hidden behind the apparent illusion. He's flying backward in his chair, motioning with his hand for me to give chase.

_RIP_…

And I do, running on the pure intent of ripping him apart as I run as fast as my transformed legs can move. Physical strength mocks technology as I slowly gain on him. This tunnel seems endless… as long as I can keep up this pace. He won't get away… _he won't get away_!

_TEAR_…

He stops suddenly, and I'm dashing headlong at him. "I'll tear you to _pieces_!" I shout at him, about to sink both my claws into his chest and pull him apart…

I strike the rock behind him… I missed! Where did he go! I look around and see nothing but wall. "Up here, doofus." My head cocks upward… the tunnel extends upward into a shaft, and he's flying up there. No… _he won't get away_! I dig my claws into the rock and climb up after him. Again, he disappears from view, hovering out of my line of sight to the left… I climb quickly so I don't lose him.

"Stop running from me, you damned _coward_!" I cry as I reach the top of the shaft, my claws scraping on a metal floor while I look in the direction I saw him fly off to. There, to my left, is the hoverchair with the back facing me… oh, that was a big mistake…

_KILL_!

I let out a primal scream as I leap out from the hole and pounce with all of my might onto the chair, running it into the ground and turning it into scrap metal, tearing into it… but Shadow isn't here! _Where is he_!

I hear him whistle behind me. I spin around ready to ram my hand into the nearest part of his body I can see, but what I see is his boot flying into my face. I don't feel the ground for a brief moment before I land on my back, but I quickly get up. I'm much further away from him now, and he's smiling his wicked, _maddening_ smile. I roar at him… I hate him… _I HATE HIM_! _I'LL KILL HIM_! I leap up into the air… I'll crush him and grind him to a pulp! _I WILL MAKE HIM PAY_!

My fists dent the metal floor, but there's no pulp… "_STOP MOVING AROUND_!" I shriek at him, swinging my claw with the intent to rip the flesh from his bones. He just sidesteps out of the way. I attack with my other claw… same thing. I try again and again and again and again and _again_… _WHY CAN'T I HIT HIM_!

"Slow, you're much too slow." he taunts me. I scream and try to bury both my hands into his skull, but again I only strike the floor. Then his hand covers my face… it lifts me up and then slams me back down. The back of my head hurts… _NO_! I won't stop now! He has to die… _HE HAS TO_—

Suddenly, I feel so cold… and then I only know pain… _TOO MUCH PAIN_! _IT HURTS_! What did he just do! I see red… red all over me! Red spikes are coming out of me! Red spikes like out of that alien at Mute City… my… _MY BLOOD_!_ IT'S MY BLOOD_! My scream is so loud that it hurts my own ears! He stands over me… smiling, with droplets of my blood staining his face. No… _NO_! I won't stop! I won't stop! I won't stop until he's _DEAD_! I… I can't move! _WHY CAN'T I MOVE_!

"How does it feel… not to get the revenge you want so badly…?"

Then I'm flying through the air again, for longer this time… I hit something, but I can't tell what it is from the sheer amount of _pain_ in my body… I'm already starting to go numb from it, and my head is getting… woozy… _no_… I… I can't stop now… I have to… _I have to kill him_…! I feel something touching me… touching me all over… but it's not Shadow, he's walking up to me with a hand on his hip…

"Come on now… what would dear Lyndis think if she knew you were giving into the pain?"

Rage. Pure rage. As much as my body protests, I can't hold back my rage. I make one final attempt to lunge at him and rip his head off… but I'm held in place… I… I feel so… weak all of the sudden… I lurch forward… I can see my arms… something is sticking out of them, it looks like… some kind of wires… my body… it keeps twitching, like something's getting sucked out… it's… not blue anymore… I… my head is… going blank…

I… I couldn't do it… I couldn't… kill him…

I… I couldn't do anything… I… I… I'm so weak…

Everything is going white…

…I… I can see her… Lyn… she's… crying…

I try to reach my hand out to her… to dry her tears… but… I can't… she's too far away… she's… moving away… no… _no_… don't… don't leave me…

The darkness is coming… I… I can't see… anymore…

…

"…Lyn…"

0000000000

-Shadow-

It's a gruesome sight to put it lightly. A young child, reaching out to the air, blood dripping out of the dozens of wounds I made and the wires now lodged in most of them. Eventually though, his body goes lax. He's lost consciousness… and his body is starting to revert back into human form. It's kind of ironic… I'm sure in any other situation he'd be happy that I'm taking back the "curse" I put on him… but he'd see no joy in it after losing the one he wanted not to lose most, even muttering her name before he goes under…

I cackle. I'm such a dick, aren't I?

_Thump, thump_.

I can feel the floor reverberate underneath my feet… the metal, almost flesh-like cables that made up the ground, and most of the walls, leading into a central cluster embedded in the wall, connected to a human-sized, ball-like capsule that he was now hooked into… I wonder if he even noticed it when he was chasing me, that he'd been running right to this huge part of the Devil's Machine?

_Thump,_ _thump_.

Like the beat of a monster's heart, it's coming to life. I'd left it on stand-by this whole time, waiting for someone to end up in the capsule to provide it with fuel… but I made a few tweaks. Of course, this wasn't the _real_ Devil's Machine, I wouldn't risk having the genuine article in the Smasher's presence. They might invoke some desperate, last-ditch effort and nuke the place for all I know. No, this piece of the Devil's Machine that coincidentally fills the whole room is nothing but a test platform meant to do two things.

_Thump, thump._

The first is simply to take a life form and see if it's compatible, and if so, begin startup procedures. And it's pulsing tells me that it's working beautifully… Lucas' mental degrading and the transformation formula I injected into him took hold and evolved exactly according to plan. The Devil's Machine had no apparent hiccups or malfunctions, it's working like a charm.

_Thump, thump._

The second task is to give me two things: the first is a scan of his mind and thought patterns, and the second is a sample of his DNA from before, during and after his transformation from monster to human. And it finishes performing all of these tasks now, the ball ejecting a flat disk and three vials filled with blood. I take every item and pocket them. More than likely I'm going to have to create a stand-in for Lucas, since now that the fourth rule of the oath is broken on him, the Gods will use it as an excuse to erase him.

And there's the ultimate kick in the pants for him. I said _he'd_ be the fuel of the Devil's Machine… but I neglected to mention it would just be _for a few minutes_, just long enough to get what I need. Ahh… misleading is _so_ much more effective and fun than lying.

_Thump, thump._

Thinking back, this would've been so much easier if I could just create a maddened human from scratch and throw it in the machine… but the tweaked Devil's Machine just wouldn't accept blank slates for some reason. I needed to practically grow the fuel out of a pre-existing, powerful psychic and put _him_ in. It just so happened that with his traumatic past and the added benefit of taking down those interdimensional do-gooders, plus his God-given purpose, that Lucas just so happened to be perfect for the job. Now that I have his genetic and mental data in the palm of my hand, I can recreate this successful ingredient infinitely… and damnit, it took long enough to get to this point. Oh well, no rest for the wicked…

Suddenly, the room gets a lot brighter… that's strange… I look up at the dangling mine lights in the room, and it's not them… I quickly realize it's coming from behind me. I turn in my heel to see something strange indeed: Lucas is starting to glow with an eerie, rainbow light... shit, what is this? Is his mind still conscious enough to perform one last PSI skill? Which one, I wonder, involves light like that…? I open my mind to sense it…

I step back in surprise; that's not PSI, that's _magic_! _Divine_ magic! Bloody hell, are the Gods already taking action? That was quick! Any quicker and they might've screwed up the DNA extraction! It's a seriously close call… but I'm amazed that they're pulling a stunt like this while I'm still here. Usually they're so afraid of me that they wouldn't dare be in the same _dimension_ as me… why such a bold move then?

_Thump thump! Thump thump! Thump thump!_

The light is glowing brighter, so bright I can't even see him anymore. And whatever the Gods are doing, it's making the Devil's Machine throw a huge fit… looks like catastrophic failure is imminent. Staying here doesn't seem like a good idea… just because I revive whenever I'm killed doesn't mean I particularly _enjoy_ being killed.

_THUMP THUMP! THUMP THUMP! THUMP THUMP!_

Yeah, that's it, I'm outta here.

0000000000

-?-

Is this the end…?

The Eternal calling himself "Shadow" has wrought the Super Smash Brothers Organization horribly in the last dark hour… he has exposed the existence of the Gods to them, leaving them scared and vulnerable… one of them has died, by her own hand, because of his cruelty… and now, a young, once-innocent child has been corrupted and lost everything according to his will…

And the worst has only just begun… who remains now, to stop this vile creation that even the Gods fear…?

Is there nothing between him and his desires for complete and total erasure of everything…?

…

…?

What is this strange energy I feel…?

Somewhere from deep within the bowels of the enemy stronghold, power is building up… divine power… but whose? I have never felt this strain of magic before… it is almost preposterous. A form of divine magic that a God cannot identify? It was a rule of thumb that every God knew the energy wavelength of every God. New Gods would even have their wavelengths memorized the moment they were initiated. There _should not be_ a divine energy I do not know of…

And yet here it was…

It gives me a dim, yet very-present hope. A newly-created divine power, one that neither the Gods nor Shadow know about… it is a slim chance, but it is the only one the multiverse has. So where is it coming from…?

…

…The boy…?

No… not the boy directly… but he is connected to it somehow… this is amazing indeed. Never have I heard of a mortal with ties to divine magic… but how is this possible? This strain of magic is not natural, of that I am certain… is this… a sign of hope…?

The boy cannot be erased here. If this new power is capable of what I believe it to be, then its source must live on. But without his _reason_ for living, will he even want to…?

No, saving only the boy from this grim fate is not enough. They must _all_ survive this ordeal. To cause this to happen will be dangerous, however it may be the only chance the multiverse has… I must act now.

The organization first… within their battleship, they still brainstorm what their next action will be. Understandable that they do not want to be separated… but this cannot be so. In this state, they are nothing but a large target for the Gods intent on erasing them… as much as it pains me to do so, they _must_ be separated and sent to places where the Gods will not take action. I access my power… this must be done quickly. Now that I am using it, it is only a matter of time before they notice and take actions against me.

In moments, it is done. The battleship tears itself asunder as if constructed from a child's toy set and dropped to the floor, and in quick and almost imperceptible dimensional events, they all disappear. I am deeply sorry to have to do this to them… I can only pray that they will understand, and that one day they will be reunited…

The captives next. Those brought here by Shadow so that he may enact his plan. They are in no less danger than the organization, so I am forced to send them away as well.

The girl next. She is the one who stands at Death's door, awaiting judgment… this cannot happen. She may well be the only hope that the boy can retain reason. I see her now, impaled on her own weapon… such a cruel fate to befall someone, to take _their own life_ simply because there is no more peaceful solution.

If memory serves, this blade cannot be touched by hands other than her own when drawn. Whether she is still alive or not I do not know, however I hope that she cannot feel pain. I must levitate her body off of the ground and have her limp arms pull the katana out with the help of gravity. It is agonizing to watch, however it does eventually work. With no time to spare, I reverse the self-inflicted wound.

_CRACK_!

The sound of cracking class precedes my body freezing up… my power is starting to ebb… they have taken notice… no! Not yet! Wasting none of the time I have left, I send her away through another dimensional event. I only wish I had been able to repair the full extent of her injuries…

My power is quickly disappearing from my grasp. I fear I will not be able to save the boy… but as I try to sense him, I find that I cannot. In his place, I instead sense traces of a dimensional event. Someone or something has already whisked him away… it was not through the will of a God however, this I know for certain. Did the strange power he was helping to produce have something to do with it…? I do not know…

So they have all been spared from the wrath of the Gods for now… as my power disappears completely and I feel my conscious fade, I understand that there is nothing else I can do. I know that I have violated our laws, and will accept the consequences. I can only hope that one day soon, they can reunite and overturn the fate that Shadow has imposed…

I cannot help but wonder, however, if I am the only one among us who still believes that our worlds are not beyond saving…

0000000000

-Shadow-

_Something_ had happened here, that was obvious. And I'm not just talking about the massive, smoking crater that used to be the mountaintop. Yeah, I'm glad I didn't stay in there.

I could feel it everywhere. Strains of residual divine magic lingered in the air that I'm now floating through… how long had it been since I used my ability to hover? Not since… when I antagonized the Link who used the Four Sword, I believe. But that's beside the point. Rather than get sidetracked, I should be piecing together what happened before the inhabitants of this world start wondering what the fuck happened to their mountain. Let's see now… there's smoke lingering in the air a few hundred metres or so away from the mountain. The only thing I knew capable of creating smoke in this area was the Halberd… so where did it go? Giant flying battleships don't just vanish into thin air.

Or do they…? I focus my mind's eye on the area with the smoke, scanning it for any residual magic… I do sense one, but to my surprise, _only_ one. Along with a shit-ton of dimensional events. Now, this is strange… with all the different strains of divine magic I feel, I thought that they all just went to town on the Halberd. But not so… it looks like a single God whisked them all away to other dimensions. Now why in the world…?

Instead of jumping to conclusions again, I decide to track the other strains. They're coming from… the mountain crater? Curious I fly down there, and sense more dimensional events from that same God. My captives are gone… but strangest of all is that Lyndis is also gone. Where she used to lay, I can detect the faintest hint of restorative magic… okay, this is just getting weird now. This God I have yet to identify not only split everyone up, but _revived_ one of them? Not that it bothers my plans at all since I already have what I need, but for the life of me I can't imagine _why_ a God would resurrect a direct threat to their secrecy, or send them all away instead of just erasing them.

The other strains of divine magic also converge on this point… in the form of energy-draining spells. Now _this_ I understand; this is basic punishment for a God who violates the Oath. Strip them of their power and take them away to stand "trial." And I use the term loosely, as when Gods are punished, there is no actual trial per se, more like an execution. I guess I won't have to worry about the rebellious idiot, then. But I'm still curious as to his or her intentions…

Oh well, it's a mystery I'll solve later. Right now I have a doomsday device to work on…

0000000000

-Lucas-

What… happened…?

I failed, as usual.

My body… hurts…

A miracle, all things considered.

Where… am I…? My eyes slowly open… I can't open them fast, they sting too much… I'm staring at the sky… or at least what looks like the sky: the sky and its darker clouds are as red as my blood… as red as Lyn's blood…

Lyn…

"_LYN_!"

The memory rips my heart in two, perhaps something akin to what she felt… I barely recognize the tears welling up in my eyes.

Stop crying. She chose her fate.

Why… why did she die…?

Because I couldn't save her.

Why did this all happen…?

Because I'm weak.

Why can't I ever _save anyone_…!

Because I'm a weapon… meant to _destroy_, not to save.

My swimming mind only just notices the sound of approaching footsteps crunching against dead grass. I see someone looming over me… my vision is too blurry from tears and disorientation to make out any details.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright, kid?"

It's a man, and old man I think… asking me if…

_IF I'M OKAY_!

My best friend is dead… all of my friends are _going_ to die… my entire body feels like it's been through hell and back… _of course I'm not okay_…! I want to just shout that into his face, but I don't have the strength to get up off of my back… I can picture myself ripping this silhouette of a human being apart for asking me something like that…

Then why don't I just go ahead and do it?

I'm… a tool of destruction… it's my purpose to destroy things… it doesn't matter what, just as long as I'm facing it…

Doesn't it make me happy?

It… it _does_ make me happy… thinking back on it now, as much as I can… the only time I've ever experience and real happiness lately was… when I was in the act of destroying things… when I was ending lives…

Then why not go ahead and be happy?

Why not…? There's nothing left for me now… the only homes I've known are gone, and my friends are doomed… and Lyn… she's _already_ gone because of what I am…

"I have nothing left…"

The man blinks at me. "Eh?"

But to destroy…

Destroy…

_DESTROY_!

I throw my hand up to crush the man's throat.

"GYAG-"

_SPLAT_.

…The scent of blood fills the air…

…I like it… it makes me… happy…

So… h… a… p… p… y…

* * *

**A/N:** And so it ends. But as you might be able to tell, not _quite_… this was only the first arc.

There are still many mysteries left to be solved. What was the strange power that emerged at the last second? Who was the unnamed God who felt pity for the Super Smash Brothers Organization? What purpose did he or she have in trying to protect them? What is the full scope of Shadow's plan, if the Devil's Machine is, in the end, only part of a bigger scheme?

And what of Lucas, who has given into the fate imposed upon him?

There are many questions that need to be addressed. But for now, the story has come to a close.

Now, I'm going to post up one more thing for this story: a big blurb of author's notes pertaining to what questions you may have about the story, as well as some I feel should be addressed. So for those of you who have something to ask, now is the time; leave it in a review and I will answer it. Or if you're not comfortable with having the question for public view, you can PM it to me instead.

In any case, thank you for reading and keep an eye out for the next arc of the story… whenever I get around to it. In the meantime I have other stories ongoing that I should work on.

Cheers.


	30. Ending Notes

Greetings, faithful readers. It's Q&A time. Starting with some things I feel I should address…

Author Self-Reflection

**Q:** What inspired me to write this story?

**A:** I'd always wanted to make a Super Smash Bros. story. I'm certainly not trying to knock on Brawl here, but I felt that the story could've been so much more… I liked the characters, but the fact that they were all _fake copies of people from other fandoms_ (or living trophies if you haven't read into the game that much) according to the Subspace Emissary storyline left a bitter taste in my mouth. I though it would've been much more gripping if it were the actual characters in this conflict instead of those imitations… but I knew whining about it wouldn't get anything done. So rather than whine, I decided to write my own story.

**Q:** Why would you have Lucas as the main character?

**A:** Other than that he's my favorite character in Brawl? Well, there's also that I _loved_ _Mother 3_, the game that Lucas stars in… but still there's more to it than that. If you've played _Mother 3_ to its end, you'll notice that for the majority of the game, Lucas takes on the "silent protagonist" role, like Link in the _Legend of Zelda_ series. And at one point in the game where Lucas does something quite amazing in Chapter 3, he literally just appears in the immediate area when you're not playing from his perspective. You never really know what's going on in his young, innocent (or in this story's case, not-so-innocent) mind. He could've been fighting for the greater good, or he could've had the _slightest_ urge for revenge lingering him, or he even could've been the poster boy for vengeance itself. I prefer to think that with all the trauma that he went through in _Mother 3_, and perhaps even things we didn't see in the game, that it had a much greater impact on him than one would realize.

But why have him as the main character in _Snapped_? It had more with my desire to write a Brawl story than anything, but with all the stuff like deceitful Gods, a corrupt organization and a heartless villain bent on the destruction of everything, it just… fell into place, really. As much as I love his character, Lucas fit the role of the protagonist-gone-awry only too perfectly.

**Q:** Why have Lyn as the secondary character? Why not Ness?

**A:** Too many Ness/Lucas stories. _NEXT_!

…Oh wait, you want more? Fine… I suppose in many contexts it would make sense for Ness to be the secondary character and have a larger role in the story, but… honest-to-goodness, I was getting _sick and tired_ of seeing so many of those. Either friendship, slash or M-rated – you should know what that last one entails – roughly ninety percent of the Lucas stories on this website have Ness as the foil (or in rare cases, Lucas and the Pokemon Trainer, A.K.A. Red). I desperately wanted to do something different, something to break the monotony. I needed a secondary character that could be more than a friend to Lucas, someone who could actually _relate_ to him, or perhaps even be a potential love interest; and for the love of all that is holy, not more yaoi stuff. But then what _female_ characters were in Brawl?

Princess Peach and Princess Zelda? Too old.

Samus Aran? Also lost her parents at a young age, but still, too old.

Nana, the pink-clad Ice Climber? She may or may not have suffered a tragedy, it's never described in either _Ice Climber_ or _Super Smash Bros_, and I'm trying not to fudge with the events of the various games, especially ones I don't know about. So I had to leave that one alone.

I then realized that main characters from the _Super Smash Bros._ series simply wouldn't do. I had to wander out of Smasher territory and look at the Assist Trophies instead, and that's when the solution jumped out at me. Having met all the criteria, being just a couple of years older than Lucas – going by the trophy description in Brawl here, not the storyline from the North American version of _Fire Emblem 7: Blazing Sword_ – and being someone he could look up to, Lyn made the perfect secondary character. Once the second arc beings, I intend for her to have a larger role, too.

**Q:** Wait, romantic interest? Then what about Princia?

**A:** Before I realized that I could use the Assist Trophies, I _had_ originally intended to make a Lucas/Princia pairing, but ultimately decided against it in the long run. Not only did I feel it would've just been fanservice-ish, but I thought it would've made more sense if Lucas could identify with someone _inside_ his circle of crazy fighting heroes. He also would've known Lyn for much longer, so in my mind this makes a lot more sense.

**Q:** Why make the second arc as a separate story?

**A:** More of an aesthetic issue than anything, the storyline will wildly change. For spoiler reasons I can't say exactly how, but you will see.

And that's everything I felt should have been addressed… now onto what the viewers wanted to know. Or rather, viewer without the "s", as only Giganerd17 asked… but oh well, I'll give due diligence. They're good questions at least.

Viewer Questions

**Q: **If I remember correctly, when Shadow ordered all non-Smashers to leave, you never specified whether Claus stayed onboard or not. Did I miss something, or did you just forget? If so, was he teleported along w/ the other Smashers?

**A:** To be honest, I did forget; thanks for reminding me. But to answer your question, Claus was indeed left at San Miguel. I'll be sure to correct that when I do that huge revision thing for the earlier chapters.

**Q: **If it doesn't spoil Arc 2 too badly, do you think you could post a list of Nintendo Deities? :3

**A:** Even if I was going to post a list for you – and I wouldn't, because it _would_ be semi-spoilers – I wouldn't be able to. The reason? I don't know who all the Nintendo "deities" are myself. I only know of a select few that I can use… others may or may not even make an appearance. I think I may have a workaround though, but you'll have to wait and see.

**Q:** Will Arc 2 be a separate fic, or will it continue from the current one? (e.g. Chapter 1 of Arc 2 will be listed as Chapter 31, or will it start in a separate fic?)

**A:** Answered above: yes, it will be separate.

**Q:** Can we expect appearances from Red, Ganondorf, and the Dragon in Arc 2?

**A:** Absolutely. I'm trying to include as many Smashers and Assist Trophies (or "Assistants" as I have it described in the story) as possible, and the Dragon of Darkness is a main-yet-subtle antagonist; you just can't have an antagonist that doesn't appear at least _once_.

**Q:** Do you plan on referencing any other 3rd-party games in Arc 2? (Also, is it safe to assume that the Boktai cast won't reappear?)

**A:** I'm trying to avoid using any more third party series if possible, except for one that is a must for what I have planned. I only used Boktai because Snake appeared as a cameo in the game, so I decided to work that into the plot due to the vampirism-ish stuff. Whether you'll see Django and Sabata again, however, I will not say.

And that's it. _Snapped_ is a story I have deeply enjoyed writing, and I hope I'll enjoy creating the second arc just as much. As for that it will be named… I haven't _quite_ decided yet. But it won't be hard to find, trust me; just enter "Lucas" and "Lyn" in the character search in the Super Smash Brothers section, I'm the only one who has created stories with these two as main characters apparently.

Or you can make things easier on yourself and subscribe to alerts from me if you haven't done so already, so you'll know whenever I make something new. [/shameless plug]

And with that, I take my leave of you now to begin working on my other projects… or at least what I have left. I don't have an estimated date on when I will begin the second arc, but it will be done eventually. Until then, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled.

Thanks for reading, ladies and gentlemen. Cheers.


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